Unlocked
by myLITTLEnekoSHIRO
Summary: *UNNAMED SEQUEL* Love can make you do strange things. Though...there should be a limit...right?
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, due to popular vote I have decided to make a sequel to Unnamed XD**

**So enjoy my lovelies and don't forget to review :D :D :D**

**Ah yes and all translation is done by the lovely danasy! Thank you so much, love!**

'Hey!'

The blonde boy quickly swiveled around and gave Ichigo a quizzical look. Licking his lips nervously, Ichigo indicated to the map he was holding and the boy suddenly smiled.

'Ah! Tourist?' the boy queried in a thick German accent as he walked up to the nervous orange head.

'Ja, aber ich kann ein bisschen deutsch,' Ichigo replied. He had been planning to come here so might as well improve his German. He wanted to surprise Grimmjow after all.

The boy grinned and grabbed the map to help him find what he was looking for. Ichigo cleared his throat.

'Urahara Café?' Ichigo asked hopefully. He wasn't sure how many would know about the little place his boyfriend worked at.

The boy's face lit up and he sighed in delight.

'Ah! Mein Lieblingsplatz!' he said gleefully. He folded the map, handing it to Ichigo and, gesturing with his hand, told the boy to follow him. 'Komm! Komm! I'll take you!'

The two ambled down the cobbled street of the little neighborhood in Brussels, Germany. The blonde whistled a tune as he skipped down, waving to people as he did. They asked him something in German and waggled their eyebrows at Ichigo. The boy would laugh and answer back, causing them to laugh too.

In the meantime, Ichigo basked in the beauty that was Germany; the heavenly scents wafting from tiny cafes lined up on the sides, the feel of the pebble paved street thronging with merry people; the sounds of many voices chattering in German from every direction along with frequent laughs of gusto. He literally felt like he had stepped into another world. Japan had comparatively quieter neighborhoods but this was simply teeming with life and enthusiasm. No wonder Grimmjow wanted to come back.

The thoughts of his boyfriend put a smile on Ichigo's face. It had been four years since Grimmjow had left. Four long and agonizing years of not seeing those laughing blue eyes, that sweet smile and those luscious cerulean locks. Sure they wrote to each other and called practically everyday day (Ichigo's phone bill was proof of that) but the real thing was much different and much, much more precious.

At times, Ichigo had wished Grimmjow had never left. It was torture to go back to his life knowing that something was missing. But Grimmjow needed to leave. He needed to go back to his family who was missing him terribly. It didn't mean he loved Ichigo any less. Family was important and Ichigo wasn't going to make him choose.

Going to Germany or having Grimmjow come visiting was out of the question. Both their families weren't that well off and were recovering from a breakdown. Their parents had gone through a divorce and while Ichigo had the better deal of having Isshin come in to fill in that empty space in his family, Grimmjow didn't.

His father had been committed to the psychiatric ward where he was treated with therapy and drugs. Aizen had a mental problem that led him to hurt his loved ones in more ways than one. Unfortunately, Grimmjow had been the victim of the worst of his condition. It was why he had ended up in Japan in the first place.

It pained Ichigo to think that Grimmjow had to suffer so much. Grimmjow had loved his father dearly. To find out that all this time his father had been hurting him was a lot to take. Which was another reason he had to go back. Although Ichigo wished he had been enough to cure Grimmjow, he knew the boy needed the comfort of his family to help him get through the pain.

Ichigo had noticed, while talking to Grimmjow on the phone, that the boy was getting better. He sounded more cheerful and didn't seem to be affected by that incident anymore. He'd even calmly told Ichigo that Aizen had been released from his ward and had come to Germany but he never came by. This was a year ago and Ichigo had freaked out when Grimmjow had told him that but Grimmjow had reassured him that nothing had happened. If anything did, he was ready. He was no longer affected by his father and could defend himself if necessary.

Knowing that his lover was no longer haunted by his past, he felt it was time he saw him. So, scraping up as much money as he could thanks to his family and afterschool jobs, he managed to collect enough to go to Germany and finally see Grimmjow.

Ichigo felt his heart leap. He was really looking forward to that. Each step he took made him feel like he was walking on air. And why not? He was going to go see his angel.

He suddenly realized that someone was snapping his fingers in front of his face. He looked and saw it was the blonde boy.

'You okay?' he asked in concern. Ichigo grinned.

'Ja, ja, thinking,' Ichigo replied and rubbed his head sheepishly. The boy grinned back, his smile literally looking like a piano keyboard.

'Ich bin Shinji,' the blonde remarked and pointed to himself. They rounded a corner and began to walk downhill.

'Ichigo.'

'Ah! Where from?'

'Japan.'

Shinji laughed.

'Wo ist dein Kleid?' he giggled. Ichigo raised an eyebrow in confusion. Then he realized that Shinji was asking about a kimono.

'Nein, nein, girls! _Girls_ wear,' Ichigo answered and couldn't help laughing at what the boy had thought. Though guys _did_ wear kimonos but not publically. At least, not since the 1860s. Imagine a guy walking out on the streets in Japan wearing that! People wouldn't stop making fun of him!

Shinji sniggered again as they continued to walk.

'Why you in Germany?' he asked after a moment of silence. Ichigo blushed, wondering if he should even tell the boy. Though there was no harm. He wondered if Shinji was the kind who'd be weirded out by gay people. He didn't look it.

'Boyfriend,' he mumbled. Shinji caught it and his grin widened.

'Ah! Liebling!' he sighed. 'My boyfriend would never! Ein zu großer Arschloch!'

Ichigo almost stopped in his tracks at that statement. He stared in surprise at Shinji who just laughed in his face and pointed ahead.

'We're here!' he stated in triumph. Ichigo glanced in the direction he was pointing and saw a cozy little cottage with a thatched roof (he wondered if it was fake) and white walls. There was a little sign nailed next to the door with the words 'Urahara Café' painted on it. The door itself was thrown wide open to allow the sounds of loud laughter and fiddle music to waft out.

Grabbing Ichigo's hand, Shinji dragged him to the cottage. Ichigo's heart was racing. He was finally going to see Grimmjow. What was he going to do? What was he going to say? Grimmjow didn't know he was here. He didn't even contact him in anyway when he arrived. Should he hug him? Should he kiss him? Or should he be formal and just shake hands? This was all so confusing! People usually grew wiser when they became adults but Ichigo just felt dumber!

The cottage was just as cozy on the inside as it was outside. Wooden chairs and tables littered the place and not one seat was unoccupied. The place was lit by soft yellow lights. The cottage was unbelievably crowded. It sure was pretty popular.

Men and women in white shirts, black trousers and white aprons waded about with trays of food and beer, handing it to the boisterous people who tapped their feet to the fiddle music being played by a group of musicians in a corner and some even sang a tune that went horribly with the music. For some reason, all this noise calmed Ichigo down. If he tried to say anything or even tried to do anything to Grimmjow, nobody would react because there was so much going on already.

Thinking this lifted his spirits and Ichigo scanned the room, wondering where Grimmjow could be. Suddenly, someone bumped his shoulder, almost sending him onto someone's table.

'Sorry!' the man who bumped him uttered and pulled Ichigo back while dusting his brown bomber jacket.

'Keine Sorge!' Shinji exclaimed and pulled Ichigo towards him, allowing Ichigo a good look at the man.

He was tall with a smooth but pale complexion. His hair was most unusual and looked to be silver but slightly on the lilac side. One couldn't really tell how old he was but Ichigo guessed he was in his mid- thirties. He was quite good looking too. Though what was unusually perturbing about him was that his eyes were shut. Ichigo wondered how he was even able to see anything.

'Er sucht seinen Liebsten,' Shinji said slyly and winked. The man grinned though his was a close-lipped one compared to Shinji's wide smile. Ichigo shivered. He didn't want to be rude but that smile was creepy.

'Viel Glück!' he chuckled and began to make his way through the crowded place.

'Nice guy!' Shinji cried out and began to drag Ichigo through the crowd. 'Come on! Let's find your boyfriend!'

That's when Ichigo spotted a streak of blue. His head whipped around and he saw, as his heart took an excited leap, the familiar face of his lover.

Grimmjow was dressed as a waiter and was serving a table with plump men. One of them laughed and thumped Grimmjow on the back. The boy smiled and uttered something that Ichigo couldn't hear over the crowd but it made the men laugh even harder. One of them gave Grimmjow a note and Grimmjow bowed in thanks, smiling graciously. How Ichigo loved that smile.

'There!' Ichigo said happily. Shinji saw and his smile faltered a little but Ichigo didn't notice. He was too elated to finally see Grimmjow.

The boy hadn't changed a bit. Except he was taller and bit more built. His hair was as long as ever, till his shoulders, and Ichigo even caught a glint of an earring in one ear. He wasn't sure why but the very idea of Grimmjow having a piercing turned him on. Now he couldn't wait to embrace his lover.

'Grimmjow!' he shouted loudly and waved his hands frantically above his head. 'Grimmjow! Here!'

He yelled as loud as he could, hoping it would reach the blue-haired boy. It apparently did because Grimmjow stopped and began to look about, trying to find the source of that voice. That's when his eyes landed on Ichigo and widened. His jaw dropped.

'Ichigo?' he mouthed. Ichigo couldn't tell if he was happy or shocked. Well, after he hugged Grimmjow then maybe he'd be able to tell.

As Ichigo began to move forward, pushing his way through crowded cafe, he looked up and froze. Out of nowhere came that silver-haired man and _placed his arm around Grimmjow's waist_. Now Ichigo's jaw dropped in shock.

Just who the hell was that man?

_**TRANSLATIONS:**_

**-Ja, aber ich kann ein bisschen deutsch: Yes, but I know a little German**

**-Ah! Mein Lieblingsplatz!: Ah! My favorite place!**

**-Komm: Come**

**-Ja: Yes**

**-** **Ich bin Shinji: I'm Shinji**

**-** **Wo ist dein Kleid?: Where's your dress?**

**-Nein: No**

**-Ah! Liebling: Ah! Love**

**- Ein zu großer Arschloch: Too much of an asshole**

**-** **Keine Sorge!: No worries!**

**-Er sucht seinen Liebsten: He is looking for his lover**

**-** **Viel Glück!: Good luck!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I am SO SORRY about the wait! You should all thank Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo because I was being a lazy ass and she finally got me to my senses to write the next chapter! Damn, you're like my publishing agent or something! Well, it's a good thing! **

**Special thanks to danasy for translation and Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo for finally getting me off my ass to do this XD**

Ichigo couldn't take his eyes off the silver-haired man. And on top of that, he couldn't help having this burning desire to rip that guy off Grimmjow and then beat him to a bloody pulp.

The man whispered something in Grimmjow's ear, making the boy blush scarlet. Ichigo balled his hands into tight fists, a scowl slowly forming on his face. This was bloody pissing off.

Shinji suddenly came into his view and tapped his forehead.

'Entschuldigen Sie,' he exclaimed, 'found what you were looking for yet?'

'Huh?' Ichigo answered dumbly, trying to see behind the tall blonde but that deemed impossible. 'Oh. Yeah…yeah…I think I…'

'Shinji!' came a voice from behind the blonde. He turned around and grinned.

'Grimmjow! Schön dich zu sehen!' he said merrily as the bluenette bustled past tables to shake hands with Shinji. Ichigo, on the other hand, tried to find that perverted silver man but couldn't find him anywhere. It was like he had disappeared.

'Du auch!' Grimmjow laughed until he caught sight of Ichigo. His face softened and a shy smile graced his lips. 'Hi, Ichigo.'

All traces of the strange man from before erased from Ichigo's mind when Grimmjow said that. He almost melted on the inside at the gentleness and affection in that tone towards him. No one else; him.

'Hi, Grimm,' he croaked and put on a goofy grin as he ruffled the back of his hair. 'Long…long time no see, huh?'

'Too long,' Grimmjow mumbled in a cheesy sort of way and his grin widened.

Though this wasn't the reunion Ichigo was expecting since at the back of his mind, he was hoping to have Grimmjow in his arms and kissing him passionately. But he just felt so happy to finally see Grimmjow again that his fantasy had to take a back step if only for now.

'So this is the lover you were looking for, huh?' Shinji guffawed as he thumped Ichigo harshly on the back. 'Have to say, _quite_ the catch! He can be a handful!'

He seemed to direct the last line at Grimmjow while greatly stressing on the word 'handful'. Grimmjow just smiled at him and suddenly grabbed Ichigo's hand.

'C'mon!' he said slyly. 'I know where we can get some alone time!'

'Wow!' Ichigo marveled. 'You're English has gotten pretty good!'

'Das ist nicht das Einzige, worin er gut geworden ist!' Shinji yelled at them as they zipped away. Too bad Ichigo understood what he said over the noisy café.

'What did he mean by that?' he asked incredulously. Grimmjow shook his head.

'He's joking!' he said hastily as he made a beeline towards a door in the back. 'Here!'

He pulled Ichigo through and they ended up in the streets of the busy marketplace.

'Where are you-?' Ichigo asked in confusion as Grimmjow weaved through the crowd with him in tow. But Grimmjow ignored him.

Kami knows where they ended up but when they finally stopped they were located in some quiet and cosy little corner hidden by some shop awning.

'Here,' Grimmjow panted as he leaned against a wall and pulled Ichigo closer. He smiled seductively at him as he slung his arms over the orange-haired boy's shoulders. 'No one can find us here.'

He kissed the side of Ichigo's jaw which was very close to his ear lobe. Ichigo shivered, surprised at how sensitive that spot was.

'G-Grimm,' he stuttered as the bluenette continued to kiss him along his jaw, even nibbling on his lobe as he continued his ministrations.

'I missed you, Ichi,' he murmured in his boyfriend's ear. 'I missed your touch, the taste of your skin on my tongue, your sweet, sweet kisses…'

Ichigo blushed deeply, tightening his hands on Grimmjow's waist. Since when had Grimmjow gotten so…sexual? Where was the innocent boy who'd punch Ichigo if he even touched him without permission?

He felt something warm and soft against his lips. Then he realized that Grimmjow was kissing him. His eyes widened as Grimmjow threaded his hands through Ichigo's hair to pull him closer so that he could press his lips even more against his.

He gasped as they parted. Grimmjow tugged on Ichigo's bottom lip with his teeth.

'Didn't you miss me, Ichi?' he asked in mock innocence. Ichigo bit back a groan and willed his blood to stop rushing to his nether regions. Last thing he wanted to do when he finally met Grimmjow was fuck him in a public place in a foreign country. Or was that what Grimmjow wanted? Could explain why he was so shamelessly pressing his body against Ichigo's.

'G-Grimm,' Ichigo moaned as Grimmjow released his bottom lip and licked at his parted lips instead. 'C-Can I…ask you…something?'

'Sure, Ichi,' the blue-haired boy purred, one hand sliding under Ichigo's shirt already. 'Anything you want.'

Ichigo's breath hitched but he tried to remain focused as he pieced his question together in his mind before it came out in a garbled mess due to Grimmjow's teasing.

'Have you…_ah_…' Grimmjow had now taken to licking his neck, 'have you…_been_ with anyone lately?'

'You're going to have to be more specific than that, Ichi,' Grimmjow teased and grazed his teeth over Ichigo's Adam's apple.

'Oh Kami, give me the strength not to bend him over and fuck him senseless!' Ichigo screamed in his head and shivered while Grimmjow continued to teasingly nibble his skin.

'I mean…' he gasped. 'I mean…_physically_…'

Grimmjow froze, giving Ichigo time to catch his breath and his senses. Then he realized that Grimmjow had stopped and he felt something cold settle in the pit of his stomach. So was he right?

'Have…' he dreaded to ask this, 'Have you?'

Grimmjow rested his chin on Ichigo's shoulder as he tightened his hands around Ichigo's neck, like he was afraid of letting him go. He probably didn't know that Ichigo was just as afraid of that happening as he was.

'I would never do anything to hurt you, Ichigo,' Grimmjow finally murmured. Ichigo's heart flipped. But that didn't answer his question.

'When I walked in,' Ichigo muttered, his eyes focused on the wall, 'I saw some…some random guy come up and wrap his arms around you rather…intimately.'

He felt Grimmjow stop breathing for a second.

'At first, I thought you guys were just close friends or something. But then,' Ichigo forced himself to continue, 'then he whispered something in your ear and you blushed. And the only time I've seen you blush…is when you're with me when we used to kiss.'

He sighed and pulled Grimmjow away from him. The blue-haired teen refused to look at him and focused on the cobblestone ground instead.

'Grimm, I'm not mad that you did something with someone else while we're still together,' he said softly. 'I'm just upset that you didn't tell me.'

He held one of Grimmjow's hands and squeezed it. This caused Grimmjow to look up at him.

'Grimm, you can tell me anything!' Ichigo said desperately, wanting him to say something. _Anything_. ' I'm here for you! If he's your new boyfriend-!'

'He's not my boyfriend,' Grimmjow cut in. Ichigo blinked in surprise. 'He's my Onkel.'

**PAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I don't think many of you expected that. So I hope this chapter made you guys happy and SORRY it took so long to update! I am lazy like HELL! *clasps hands together in front and bow* Gomenasai!**

**ANYWAY I need to update more stories so if you're reading those as well look out!**

_**TRANSLATION:**_

**-Entschuldigen Sie: Excuse me**

_**-**_**Schön dich zu sehen: Good to see you**

**-Du auch: You too**

**-Das ist nicht das Einzige, worin er gut geworden ist: That's not the only thing he's gotten good at**


	3. Chapter 3

**Special thanks to danasy who's feeling a little under the weather which is why this chapter is being posted late! Pray she gets better soon! ^^**

**And oh yes, special thanks to Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo too with all her nagging, tough cookies and Chuck Norris's XD**

Ichigo stared. Then, he slowly turned a bright, strawberry red and began to cough uncomfortably.

'Um,' he managed to utter while trying to avert Grimmjow's gaze, 'he's your…he's your what again?'

'Well, he's not really my uncle,' Grimmjow sighed and gently pushed Ichigo away so he could watch the people bustling by. 'He's an old friend of the family. Aizen's friend, actually.'

Ichigo's jaw dropped. Not because Grimmjow called his father 'Aizen' (he'd been doing that for a year now) but because Grimmjow was actually acquainted to one of that bastard's friends.

No wonder Ichigo was getting a funny feeling from him. Especially when he wrapped his arms around Grimmjow.

Grimmjow turned around, startled, when he heard Ichigo growl lowly in his throat.

'I don't like him, Grimmjow,' Ichigo uttered menacingly. 'If he's a friend of that bastard than he's not good news.'

'Ichigo…' Grimmjow said quietly, looking at his boyfriend pleadingly. Ichigo's eyes widened and then narrowed as he realized something unpleasant.

'Don't tell me he's got you wrapped around his finger too?' Ichigo snapped, losing his temper. He wished he wasn't. He was meeting Grimmjow after God knows how long and the first thing he does is get angry at him. He hated this. He hated that _man_. _He's _the one who ruined their reunion.

'Grimmjow, I can't believe you! Haven't you learnt from your mistakes?' Ichigo continued to explode. 'What's he doing to keep you, huh? Is he blackmailing you with his version of love? Is he making you do _it_ with him?'

'Excuse me?' Grimmjow said in shock, his eyes widening. But Ichigo was too pissed off to notice Grimmjow's bewildered face.

'Everyone knows who he is right?' Ichigo seethed as he stomped past Grimmjow. 'I'll ask Shinji. He'll tell me. And when I find out, there will be hell to pay! So that stuck up, no good, son of a bitch can kiss my-!'

He stopped short when he felt something heavy collide with his back, almost knocking him over, and then a pair of arms enclose around his waist. Startled, he looked behind to see a shock of cerulean hair and a trembling figure.

'Ichigo, don't be mad at him,' he heard Grimmjow whisper against the back of his shirt. 'Onkel Gin has only been helping us ever since I came back. He's…He's been supporting Mutter in any way he can. He's even helping pay for Stark's college, and going to Nel's school recitals. And…and he's making sure I heal properly. He makes sure that I don't remember Aizen and that I'm never alone to think about him. He's…he's really, _really_ nice, Ichigo…'

Ichigo turned around completely to face Grimmjow and realized how _stupid_ this all was. He _loved_ Grimmjow! And Grimmjow loved him back! Why the _hell_ was he thinking that Grimmjow would fall back to his bad habits and _cheat_ on him? This was so stupid and ridiculous that if he was somebody else and met himself doing this to Grimmjow, he'd beat the stuffing out of him.

A slow smile spread across his face as he, in turn, wrapped his own arms around Grimmjow and buried his face in his lover's neck, inhaling that enchanting scent.

'I'm sorry, Grimm,' he murmured. 'Sorry that I jumped to conclusions. I…didn't meant to, okay? It's just that…you're _real_ important to me and I hate seeing you get hurt…_again_…'

'I know,' Grimmjow responded just as softly. 'That's why I didn't want you to worry and didn't tell you about Onkel Gin. If you knew…you'd act like you just did. And I didn't want to do it over the phone because then I wouldn't be able to stop you from acting like a dick in public.'

Ichigo chuckled and tightened his hug briefly before letting go. He slid his hands down Grimmjow's arms before entwining their fingers.

'I want to meet him,' he grinned and swung their arms playfully. 'He sounds like a real swell guy.'

Grimmjow laughed.

'I want you to meet him too,' he answered, his cheerful mood and impish grin back in place. 'Come over to my place tomorrow. He'll be over then. He has work tonight which is why he popped in to tell me he couldn't take me to the movies today.'

'But then…why did you blush-?' Ichigo frowned.

'We were going to go see 'Beauty and the Beast',' Grimmjow muttered and looked away while turning beet red.

Ichigo burst out laughing. Scowling, Grimmjow shoved Ichigo into a wall but that didn't stop the orange head from laughing till he had tears in his eyes.

'You're such a chick, Grimm, and you didn't need to grow your hair to prove it!' Ichigo mused as he wiped a stray tear sliding down his cheek.

'Fuck you!' Grimmjow snapped and marched away. 'I need to go back to work! And you better be staying somewhere 'cause if you asked me for a room, I'd make you sleep on the streets!'

'Hey! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't make fun of you!'

'Yeah, right! And stop putting your arm around my waist! People are staring!'

'So? Let them. You're mine and they should know it.'

'Fuck you!'

'Well, they'll stare for sure if we do _that_!'

'I hate you.'

'Love you too.'

* * *

><p>'Ich bin zu Hause!' Grimmjow called as he removed his duffel bag and cast it to one side of his house. He glanced at the clock.<p>

Mutter wasn't going to be home for a while. She was working late tonight. And Stark was probably at his friend's place for a cram session. Nel, as usual, was asleep and when she slept, she slept like a log. God help her if the apocalypse came. She'd probably sleep through it and wake up when she realized she didn't have her midafternoon meal.

He chuckled as he imagined Nel toddling about the house, wringing her little arms, and crying out, 'Essen! Essen!'

Poor thing. His heart always melted when she turned all teary-eyed and he could never say no to her then. Maybe that's why she was so spoilt.

His stomach growled.

Speaking of food, he needed to feed himself. Even though he's surrounded by food 24/7, he's so busy feeding everyone else he never has time to even _think_ of eating himself!

He strolled into the kitchen without turning on the lights and opened the fridge. He groaned. Looked like Mutter forgot to grocery shop today. _Now_ what was he going to do?

'Hungrig, mein kleiner blauer?' came a cool voice from behind. Grimmjow knees almost buckled under him at that voice. He turned around sharply, heart palpitating. His eyes softened and he turned back to the fridge, closing it calmly, before answering.

'A little, Onkel Gin,' he murmured, his hand still rested on the fridge's handle. He heard the ruffling of clothes and the pitter patter of footsteps behind him.

'Do you want Onkel to feed you?' whispered the merry, silver-haired man as he wrapped his arms around the teen for the second time that day and pressed his body tightly against Grimmjow's. Grimmjow inhaled sharply.

'Ummm…' he hesitated, his hands now resting on the man's forearms.

An uncomfortable silence passed with the only sound being Gin's lips kissing their way up Grimmjow's neck. The teen whined softly and arched forward when Gin kissed a particularly sensitive spot. He tightened his hands on Gin's arms, digging his nails in.

'Onkel, stop,' he panted, using as much strength as he could to wrench out of Gin's grasp. Gin raised an eyebrow and let go, allowing Grimmjow to lean against the fridge while panting softly.

'What's wrong? You've never said no to me before,' Gin sighed and crossed his arms. Grimmjow didn't answer. Or at least, it looked like he didn't want to. 'Is it because of that boy today?'

He noticed how Grimmjow's hands tightened into fists when he said this.

'Ah, so it is.'

He began to walk away from Grimmjow who then heard the scraping of a chair being pulled out and someone settling in it. He could just imagine Gin sitting in that chair and looking up at the ceiling as he spoke.

'He's the one you love, isn't he? The one you just can't seem to live without? Isn't that why you asked me to leave? So that he wouldn't see you with me?'

'Onkel…' Grimmjow said miserably and turned around in the darkness to search for the man. He saw a vague outline until Gin turned on the light above the kitchen table where he was seated at. The light made his hair glow as he looked emotionlessly at Grimmjow with his head tilted to the side.

'Do you want to stop then?' Gin asked. Grimmjow winced as Gin repeated himself from last night.

'_Do you want to stop, Grimmjow?' Gin sighed as he massaged Grimmjow's scalp while kissing him passionately on the lips. 'Don't you feel guilty for doing this to your lover?'_

'I…' Grimmjow licked his lips, his eyes dull with desperation.

'Did you tell him anything?' Gin pressed.

'…I told him everything…'

'_Everything_? Or just what you thought sounded right?'

Grimmjow felt like a monster. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know _why_ he did it in the first place. He'd missed Ichigo. He'd missed Ichigo's kisses and hugs and warmth.

That's why he had turned to Gin.

Gin had just been _there_. He'd always been there. That much he hadn't lied about to Ichigo.

Gin had always cared about Aizen's family since he got married. Coming over and making sure they had everything they needed, even when Aizen had still been around. When he had heard that Aizen had raped Grimmjow, he had been furious. Grimmjow hadn't been there to witness it because that was when Aizen had whisked him away to Japan. But Stark told him that Gin had been so mad he had punched a hole through a door.

When Grimmjow came back, it was like Gin practically lived with them. Soon, he and Grimmjow were spending their free time together playing board games, talking, watching movies. Sure Grimmjow appreciated his company but he needed _more_. Gin couldn't fill the void inside the teen that Ichigo had fitted in so perfectly. And the more he missed Ichigo, the bigger the void grew. So one day, he had had enough.

'Can I kiss you?' he accidentally blurted out one time to Gin while they were playing Snakes and Ladders. Gin had looked up in surprise, one eyebrow raised. Grimmjow had blushed and looked back down.

'For-Forget it,' he had stuttered and picked up the dice to roll. Then, he had felt a hand on his dice hand. He had clenched the dice tightly. Startled, he had looked up to be met with soft lips on his own.

Grimmjow didn't know how long he had held his breath. The minute they parted, he exhaled in a rush, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. He forced himself to look up at Gin to see the man smiling kindly at him. It wasn't his usual impish grin but a genuinely caring one.

'Don't be afraid to ask me for anything, mein kleiner blauer,' he had remarked. 'Because no matter what it is, I'd do it in a heartbeat. For you.'

And so, the courting had begun. Whenever he would ache for some physical contact, Gin would be there to relieve him. Be it a kiss, a caress or a loving word, Gin would give it to him. It wasn't Ichigo. But it was better than nothing.

He knew he could say no. That he could walk away and tell Gin that it's over. But every time he was with Gin, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. And Gin never questioned his actions. It was like he gave Grimmjow full reign of everything. Anything Grimmjow wanted to do Gin would do it.

But that wasn't right! Grimmjow was just a _kid_! Shouldn't Gin do the adult thing and tell Grimmjow what he's doing is _wrong_? Why isn't he stopping him? And if Grimmjow knows it's wrong too, why isn't he stopping himself? Or is it too late?

He clutched his head in both his hands.

'I'm so confused,' he murmured helplessly.

A shuffle of feet echoed in the empty kitchen. A hand gently took his chin and lifted his face so that he was level with liquid turquoise irises.

'I'm not going to let you slip away from me again, mein kleiner blauer,' Gin breathed as he pressed his lips against Grimmjow's. He leaned in close, pressing Grimmjow against the fridge. 'I let it happen once. I'm not going to let it happen again. Remember, no matter what you ask, I'd do it in a heartbeat. For you.'

**TRANSLATIONS:**

**- Ich bin zu Hause: ****I'm home**

**- ****hungrig, mein kleiner Blauer: ****hungry, my little blue **

**- ****Essen! Essen!: ****Food! Food!**


	4. Chapter 4

**WELLLLL since it's going to get PRETTY climatic after this I should say this counts as a Valentine's Day gift to my lovely reviewers :3**

**Enjoy! ^^**

Ichigo sighed as he stared at the hotel bed before him and the lump currently snoring away under it. He then proceeded to grab the edge of the sheets and pulled as hard as he could. The lump yelped in surprise as it rolled out of bed and fell flat on the floor. Uttering every curse word known to man, said lump surfaced from under the sheets in a mass of shocking red hair and burning eyes.

'What the _fuck_, Ichigo!' Renji snapped as he wrenched the corner of the sheet Ichigo had been holding and stood up tall so he was eye to eye with his friend. 'Can't a guy get any decent sleep around here!'

'It's four in the afternoon,' Ichigo said coolly and glanced down before locking eyes with Renji again, 'and you certainly defy the term 'morning wood'.'

Renji quickly glanced down and turned as red as his hair. He forgot that he liked to sleep naked. Next time, he was getting a separate room.

'Why'd you wake me up?' Renji grumbled as he wrapped the sheets hastily around himself like a toga and made his way towards the bathroom. Ichigo fell back on the bed, his feet still on the floor, and sighed deeply. Renji raised an eyebrow.

'Dude, did you just sigh like a chick?' he muttered.

Unfortunately, Ichigo heard him because next thing he knew a pillow was flying straight at him. He quickly ducked into the bathroom, locking the door in case Ichigo decided to follow that attack up with something worse.

'Jeez, just being concerned! Isn't that what you wanted me to do when you asked me to come on this trip!'

Well, Renji had a point. That _was_ the reason he had asked Renji to come. That and the fact that he didn't want to go all alone to a foreign country. Though that seemed to be the least of his worries now, especially after he had met up with Grimmjow.

'I'm going to go see Grimmjow again today,' Ichigo remarked, 'and I was wondering if you could come along this time.'

After a minute or two, Renji emerged from the bathroom dressed in a pair of lime green board shorts and a matching graphic tee. He frowned at Ichigo as he tied his hair up.

'Did something happen the last time you guys met?' he asked, now genuinely concerned. Ichigo hesitated a bit. Should he tell Renji what he saw?

Without realizing it, Ichigo told Renji everything without sparing any details.

'I know I shouldn't doubt Grimmjow but…' Ichigo licked his lips nervously, 'it's been so _long_, Renji, and I didn't want to start off mistrusting him, y'know? But I can't help it if I think he's lying.'

'Hate to break it to you, Ichi, but that does sound suspicious,' Renji commented, 'I don't want to say that Grimmjow is a liar but one guy's word isn't going to confirm anything. You need to ask someone else. What about Stark? They live together, don't they?'

'Stark's got his exams. I don't want to bother him with this,' Ichigo answered with a shake of his head. Then something came to him. 'I could ask Shinji!'

'A _what_!'

'Not a 'what'. _Who_. He hangs out at the café Grimmjow works out and by the looks of things they're pretty close. I'm thinking of catching Grimmjow there so maybe Shinji will be around too. Though…if I start asking Shinji questions Grimmjow will think I don't trust him.' He brooded for a minute but then beamed as he glanced at Renji. 'Why don't _you_ ask him? It's perfect! And he might just like you!'

'_Me_? Ichi, in case you don't know this, but me don't know Germanland lingo! And what do you mean he might just like me! What, I'm not likeable or something!'

'Don't worry about the language barrier! Shinji's English is pretty good! And it's not like that! See, Shinji's gay.'

'Oh, okay.' Then Renji's eyes widened in horror and he began to shake his head fervently. 'No, no, no, no, no! I don't swing that way, Ichigo! I like tits! Vaginas! Girls! Not dudes! That's nasty! No offense though! I mean, Grimmjow's a looker but not like I'm looking, if you know what I mea-!'

'Calm down, Renji! Don't go all ninja before we even get there! Listen, let's just go there and while I distract Grimmjow, you talk to Shinji. He's a nice guy. He'll cooperate. And he might not even hit on you. He probably doesn't even like guys like you.'

With that, Ichigo got up to take his turn in the bathroom while Renji breathed in relief. Then he froze and whirled around just as the bathroom door closed.

'Wait, what you do mean 'guys like me'? What kinda guy do you think I am! Ichigo? ICHIGO! Dude, stop doing this to me all the fucking time! Not cool, you hear me! NOT. COOL!'

* * *

><p>'He's hot,' Shinji purred as he observed a guy from across the café. His eyes were glued to that guy's ass as he sipped his drink while seated on the café's alcohol bar.<p>

Grimmjow glanced over before going back to fixing drinks. Today was his turn to take over at the bar but he just wanted to get out as fast as possible. He glanced at clock above him and sighed. Just one more hour.

'Shin, he's already seeing someone so if you try to jump him right now, he's not the only one who's going to get slapped by his girlfriend,' Grimmjow drawled as he poured a couple of beers and banged them heavily on a tray before a waiter grabbed it. Shinji coughed and turned his attention completely to the blue-haired boy.

'Speaking of partners,' he said coolly and rested his chin in one hand. 'How was reunion? Shared any thoughts, feelings…_secrets_?'

Grimmjow scowled and jumped back as he almost doused his front with beer.

'I told Ichigo just enough,' he snapped and quickly grabbed the towel to wipe himself.

'_Enough_? Or just what you thought sounded right?'

Grimmjow flinched as those words echoed the same statement uttered to him just last night.

'Why can't you guys just leave me alone?' he muttered as he leaned over the bar counter. 'I know what I'm doing so don't tell me what to do!'

Shinji sighed and tapped Grimmjow's arm so that the boy would look up at him.

'You're lucky to have me as a friend,' he exclaimed with a comforting smile, 'I promise, I ain't going to tell Ichigo anything if he asks. But just remember, you'll have to come clean sooner or later. I know you haven't stopped canoodling with Gin. So you better decide who you want.'

'It's not that easy, Shin,' Grimmjow murmured as he ran a hand through his locks, 'I can't risk losing either of them. They both are _really_ important to me. They both have helped me in their own way to get over the whole Aizen incident. And after everything they've done, how can I choose who I want? It's being unfair to the other. I don't know if Onkel Gin understands why I can't let go of Ichigo. And even if he does, I don't think he's happy about it. But what can I do? If I tell Ichigo the truth, he'll get _hurt._ Really bad, Shin. So for the moment, I can't tell him. To protect him.'

Shinji listened to every word intently without making any snide comments. Once Grimmjow was done, Shinji finished his drink before he spoke.

'Do what you want, Grimm,' he said casually, 'I've got nothing against anything you just said except one thing. You're not protecting Ichigo. You're trying to protect yourself. Because if Ichigo finds out, you're going to feel all alone again. And you don't want that. You're being real selfish when it comes to him. Just wanted to make that clear.'

Grimmjow stared, stunned. He couldn't believe what Shinji had just said so bluntly. It was like a slap in the face. But he had no retort. It was like Shinji had the spoken the very words he had tried to keep locked away so he couldn't face the ugly truth behind his warped deeds.

'By the way, why do you keep glancing at the clock? You've never had a problem working at the bar. You always manage to get free beer.'

'Oh, umm…I'm planning on meeting…Onkel Gin after this…'

Shinji raised an eyebrow.

'We're going to talk,' Grimmjow quickly explained, 'I want to sort this out, Shin. I really do. But I can't talk about it with Ichigo. Onkel Gin and I are going to talk and settle this situation once and for all. It's the only way, Shin. I don't want to torture Ichigo like this.'

Shinji sighed and whirled around in his seat so that he faced the cafe bustling with merry people. He rested his elbows on the counter.

'Suit yourself, Grimm,' he exclaimed. Then, after a pause, he spoke again. 'Though I think you might want to skedaddle early before you're spotted.'

'By who?' Grimmjow asked as he picked up a few glasses on the counter and placed them in the sink.

'Yonder lover just walked in and fuck me if I'm wrong but I think he might be looking for you.'

Grimmjow almost dropped the beer mugs in his hands and glanced in shock at the door. Sure enough, there was that familiar head of unruly orange hair paired with those warm brown eyes and that cute little frown as his lover tried to find him.

His insides twisted painfully and he looked up at the clock. Shit, fifteen minutes till his shift was over. He needed a distraction. He needed…

'Shinji, I will owe you for the rest of my life if you could distract Ichigo and help me sneak out!' Grimmjow hissed at Shinji as he ducked behind the bar, hoping that Ichigo hadn't spotted him.

'You have to be more specific than _that_, Grimm,' Shinji drawled, thoroughly enjoying this. Grimmjow gnashed his teeth furiously as he stopped himself from throttling the blonde.

'I'll introduce you to that friend of mine you've been drooling over for weeks!' he snapped. Shinji's eyes widened in delight.

'You mean Ylfordt?' he said gleefully, his grin growing wider.

'YES! Now will you _please _help me!'

'It'll be my pleasure-!'

He froze in midsentence. Grimmjow frowned. Just what in the world had gotten Shinji speechless?

He dared to look over the edge of the bar. He raised an eyebrow.

'Is that Renji?' he wondered out loud. What was he doing here with Ichigo?

'Renji, huh?' Shinji mumbled, his jaw literally an inch from the floor. Grimmjow flicked his eyes at him and rolled his eyes.

Great, leave it to Shinji to go and fall for the straightest guy ever. He just hoped Shinji's heart won't get broken. Wait, Shinji getting his heart broken? Please, the guy would have move onto the next cute guy who walked in in the next half an hour.

'I think I'm in love,' Shinji breathed in awe.

Grimmjow groaned and smacked his forehead.

This was _not_ helping! Now how the hell was he going to get away? Maybe if he could stay hidden and sneak out from the back he might still have a chance to-

'Grimmjow!'

Too late.

**No German words this time so danasy can get a break from my constant pestering ^^**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

'Shinji's there, too! Great!' Ichigo exclaimed in relief as he had to literally drag Renji towards the alcohol bar. The redhead scowled.

'Dude, he looks freaky!' he uttered. 'And what's with that smile? He looks like a molester or something!'

Ichigo rolled his eyes. Trust Renji to insult a total stranger before they even met!

'Don't worry, he doesn't molest redheads,' Ichigo replied sarcastically. 'You're still talking to him whether you like it or not!'

'But-Oof!'

Ichigo shoved Renji forward because the coward was trying to get away again. Ironically, he tripped over his own feet and flew right into Shinji's arm. Well, that was because Shinji was quick enough to grab the idiot before both of them got seriously injured.

'Well, what do you know?' Shinji laughed as Renji immediately jumped to his feet, his face as red as his hair while he patted his shirt into place. 'Ich denke, ich werde heute Nacht trotzdem nicht allein schlafen!'

'Huh?' Renji said in confusion and glanced at Ichigo, who was trying not to burst out laughing, and then at Grimmjow, who rolled his eyes. 'What did he say? Ichigo, what did he say just now?'

'Oh, nothing you should be worried about,' Ichigo struggled to say as he held in his laughter. He then locked his eyes on Grimmjow and smiled brightly. 'Hi, Grimm! Busy?'

Was it just him or did Grimmjow look on edge?

'Oh! Ah, hi, Ichi!' Grimmjow answered in a rather high-pitched voice. 'Y-yeah! I got bar duty and…and I don't know when I'll be-!'

'Grimmjow!' yelled a boy with roughish salmon-colored locks and a scowl. He pointed to the café exit. 'Der Boss sagt, du kannst jetzt los!'

Grimmjow winced.

'Hey, guess you're free!' Ichigo pointed out. This was his chance. Well, Renji's chance to Shinji while Ichigo whisked Grimmjow off somewhere. He grabbed his boyfriend's hand, taking the blue-haired boy by surprise. 'C'mon! I want you to show me around town!'

'Oh! Uh, yeah, uh…' Grimmjow stammered and glanced at Shinji, who was too busy making Renji uncomfortable with his staring. 'Let's take Shinji and Renji with us-!'

'Nah! Let 'em bond here! Besides, I want to spend some time alone with you,' Ichigo said casually, pulling Grimmjow close to whisper the last bit. He was probably pushing it, being all sexy, but he knew he needed to get Grimmjow away and this was one sure way of doing it.

And besides, Grimmjow looked cute when he turned strawberry red.

Grimmjow glanced uneasily at the clock and then at Shinji.

'Ummmm, I…I dunno, Ichigo,' he struggled to get out, as if trying to organize his thoughts. Or maybe come up with an excuse to…to what? Avoid Ichigo?

Ichigo frowned.

'You don't want to spend time with me?' he asked quietly. He loosened his grip on Grimmjow's hand.

Maybe he was right. Maybe Grimmjow was lying to him. Then it was pointless to have Renji get anything out of Shinji. He already knew the truth.

Grimmjow quickly tightened his grip on Ichigo's hand and locked eyes with him.

'Don't say that to me again, okay?' Grimmjow said, almost in a demanding voice. Ichigo almost flinched in surprise. He'd never seen Grimmjow look this determined about something.

'So…ummm…so we going then?' He almost sounded hopeful. For once, he hoped that he was wrong about Grimmjow. That minute outburst had stirred his hopes a little and he didn't want to be disappointed.

Grimmjow glanced at Shinji, thinking. Then…

'Hey, Shin!' he called. 'I'm leaving _right now_, so don't forget what you promised me, 'kay? Or I'm going to make sure you're banned from this place!'

Shinji, who had been preoccupied in molesting Renji with his eyes while they made small talk, gave Grimmjow a bored look before rolling his eyes.

'Yeah, yeah, don't worry!' he said casually before grinning widely and winking, 'you kids have fun and I'll do likewise!'

His eyes slid momentarily to Renji who jumped back in shock. The redhead glanced pleadingly at Ichigo but all Ichigo did was shrug. He wasn't responsible for what Shinji might do! Who would've thought that the German would be interested in Renji! It was all unpredictable and totally not Ichigo's fault. In Ichigo's opinion anyway.

As he grabbed Grimmjow's hand tightly once again and pulled him out from bar area, he hoped the redhead wouldn't mess up and remember the plan. Everything depended on him now.

* * *

><p>Grimmjow didn't know what came over him when Ichigo asked him if he didn't want to spend time with the orange-haired teen. Maybe it his possessiveness or something. Or the fact that he couldn't bear seeing Ichigo sad because of him. Or maybe, seeing Ichigo sad just tore him up.<p>

Either way, he had blurted out, almost angrily, that he never wanted Ichigo to believe that question to have an answer of any sort. In fact, that question shouldn't even exist between them. Grimmjow would _never_ pass up a chance to spend time with Ichigo!

Still, in this situation, he might have to reconsider that declaration. He'd promised to see Onkel Gin and he couldn't talk to him with Ichigo hanging around. He needed to get away without Ichigo knowing that he was gone. But how?

He glanced at Shinji and it hit him. Okay, sure the blonde was busy ogling Renji but he had promised Grimmjow that he would help him distract Ichigo. And one thing that was good about Shinji was that he _never_ went back on a promise. All he needed was a reminder…

And he hoped the blonde would do the rest before he even left the café with Ichigo.

* * *

><p>'So how do you like Germany?' Shinji purred, his eyes lidded as he observed Renji. Renji frowned as he noticed Shinji's eyes were wandering mostly all over his body.<p>

'It's…cultural,' Renji muttered, trying to look somewhere else.

'_Damn_, he is _fine_!' Shinji thought gleefully, his eyes wandering a tad too long on Renji's crotch before going up. He just wished Renji would turn around so he could check out his ass. Shinji had a weird fetish for guys with nice asses. Actually, it was more of a quirk. Grimmjow would always point out that no matter how hot a guy was, Shinji wouldn't tap it if that guy didn't have a nice ass.

'Nice shorts, by the way,' Shinji said suddenly.

Renji raised an eyebrow.

'Uh, thanks, I guess,' he answered uncertainly.

'I like the cut,' Shinji continued, his eyes now glued those shorts, wishing there was a way to get rid of them without causing a scene in public. Okay, maybe that was the last of his concerns. He wasn't doing it right now in case he scared the redhead away. 'Mind if you turn around so I can see the back too?'

Renji gave him a strange look. Now he could comment that that was a weird request but then, there was no harm in doing it. It was a harmless demand.

Renji shrugged his shoulders and began to turn. Shinji almost fell out of his seat in excitement.

'Please let him have a nice ass, please let him have a nice ass,' he chanted to himself.

'Hey, Shin!'

'Huh?' He looked up to see Grimmjow giving him the hardest glare ever. Oh great. He needed a favor _now_ of all times. And just when he missed seeing the ass of his possible prey for the night! Grimmjow owed him _big_ _time_ now!

'I'm leaving _right now_, so don't forget what you promised me, 'kay? Or I'm going to make sure you're banned from this place!' Grimmjow shot at him.

Shinji sighed and leaned against the bar counter.

'Yeah, yeah, don't worry!' he uttered and looked at Renji from the corner of his eye before smiling toothily. As long as he got to stay with the redhead, he wasn't going to complain! 'You kids have fun and I'll do likewise!'

And boy, what _fun_ they were going to have! Shinji had to refrain himself from rubbing his hands together like a mad scientist. That was another thing he was sure was going to scare the redhead.

Still, he probably had 5 minutes to come up with a plan so that Grimmjow could escape Ichigo before they left the café. But what?

Renji suddenly jumped, his face going red. Did someone just…smack his _ass_?

He looked behind and saw a petite woman with large magenta irises and stylishly arranged matching hair. She raised one eyebrow at him and smirked sassily.

'Nice ass, sexy,' she said teasingly.

Renji felt his jaw drop.

Seriously, what was with everyone hitting on him! Was he considered good-looking in Germany? Not that he was complaining but…could they _not_ look and act like sex fiends! It was freaking him out!

Shinji looked past Renji and scowled at the woman. Damn it, it was Riruka! That woman was _always _flirting with anyone! It was so fucking annoying, especially when she had an overprotective brother like Ginjou who went ape crazy when he saw a guy talking to her in a rather forward way. Funny thing is, she was the one who'd instigate the flirting but when Ginjou caught her, she'd act all innocent so that the poor guy on the receiving end would get pummeled into the next century. She was seriously the definition of a bitchy slut.

And now she was flirting with _his_ guy! Shinji could give a fuck about the guys she messed with but this time, she was stepping into _his_ territory and Shinji could get just as bitchy as _her_ when people did that with him!

'Back off, Riruka,' Shinji said icily in German and hopped off his seat so that he was towering over the seated girl. 'He's mine.'

He knew it was rude of him to talk to her in German in front of Renji, but no way in hell he was going to let Renji know that he was treating the redhead as his property.

'Sharing is caring, ShinShin,' she sighed arrogantly and waggled her eyebrows at Renji.

Shinji scowled. He hated it when she called him that. If he could punch a girl, he would punch Riruka without hesitation right about now.

'Not with you it is,' he shot at her. She barked a laugh.

'Oh, you know me too well, ShinShin!' she said heartily, knowing full well her nickname for him was pissing him off. 'But tell you what, if you let me have a go with him too, I won't tell him your history with men so that he doesn't go off screaming in the other direction.'

Shinji's eyes narrowed. She was going to _blackmail_ him into giving up Renji? Who the _fuck_ did this woman think she was talking to?

'Suck my dick 'cause I don't give a lick,' Shinji answered in a singsong voice, grinning crazily while tilting his head to one side mockingly. This time it was Riruka's turn to scowl.

'You're such an ass, Shinji,' she said coldly, 'you don't even _like_ him! You're just going to fuck him and move on to someone else! What's the difference if I get to have him, too?'

'You're just going to fuck him up with your twisted ways,' Shinji replied without a pause. Riruka looked him up and down before she burst out laughing. This really irked Shinji. What the hell was she laughing about?

'What the hell is so funny?' he asked tersely.

'Oh, nothing!' Riruka said breathily between giggles. 'Just never thought I'd see the day that Shinji Hirako cared about another guy like this!'

Shinji gritted his teeth. That woman really knew how to get under his skin.

'Now see here-!' he began when all of a sudden his view was blocked by a broad chest clothed in a grey shirt and a fur-lined jacket. He gulped and looked up to meet a pair of hard eyes.

'Heyyyy, Ginjou!' Shinji said in the cheeriest voice he could manage. 'What's going on?'

Ginjou's eyes narrowed.

'You bothering my sister, Hirako?' he said icily and cracked his knuckles.

Oh _hell no_ was Shinji getting caught in this web!

'No way, Ginjou!' Shinji said casually. 'Your sis and I were just having a-!'

'He was insulting me, Ginjou,' Riruka said in a fake hurt tone. 'He said I nothing but a…a…_slut_…'

'Is that so?' Ginjou's voice dropped a few centigrade. Shinji felt like strangling that woman. Oh _God_, he _hated_ her with a _passion_!

'That's not true,' Shinji said curtly. 'For one, I would _never_ say it to her face. I'd say it behind her back. To her face, I'd say it in such a convoluted way that she'd never see it-!'

Shinji knew what was coming. He knew Ginjou just needed an excuse to cave his face in right now. And Shinji wasn't afraid to take a go at Ginjou. He wasn't scared of fighting. In fact, he thought he was a pretty decent fighter. Better than Ginjou at least.

However, when he ducked, he hadn't taken into account of someone passing by behind him. So since Ginjou missed him, the punch nailed the guy behind him.

Renji's jaw dropped once again. Just now, he had no fucking clue as to what was going on. Then, this huge, menacing guy popped out of nowhere and decided to punch Shinji! And Shinji just had to duck so that the guy behind him got the brunt of the powerful punch. He could tell it must've hurt because he heard a sickening crack, meaning that the big guy had probably broken the poor fellow's nose.

'Wow, well, that wasn't very nice, Ginjou!' Shinji marveled. 'He didn't do anything to you! Well, he might have been thinking your sister is a slut but hey, you might as well hit all of us in this café for thinking that!'

Ginjou saw red as he sailed in for another hit. This time Shinji met him on, blocking Ginjou's fist with his forearm and sailing in a fist to catch the big guy in the jaw.

If the café wasn't noisy before it was roaring with cheers and jeers this time. Plus, it seemed that wherever Shinji and Ginjou fought, they caused chaos. People were getting kicked or punched by someone, which just pissed them off and gave them the urge to hurt someone else.

Soon, the café was nothing but a brawling sea of fighting men. Renji jumped out of the way as a table flew past him. His eyes widened as a guy stood up on the counter, roaring like he was Tarzan before jumping into the frenzy of battling bodies.

Where the hell was Ichigo when you needed him?

* * *

><p>'So where should we go?' Ichigo asked as the two weaved through the tables in the café. Grimmjow kept his head down, following Ichigo quietly.<p>

'Wherever you wanna go, Ichi,' Grimmjow answered in what he hoped was a little cheerful tone. He didn't want Ichigo to notice how agitated he was. He was so close to chewing on his nails out of anxiety. He trusted Shinji to get him out of this, he really did. But what if he was too late and they already left the café. Should he stall Ichigo? Maybe he could pretend he left something in the back so he could-

'Ouch! Hey, watch it!' Grimmjow yelled as someone smashed into him from behind, sending him crashing into Ichigo's back. Ichigo looked back in alarm.

'What the hell?' he murmured as his eyes trained on the slowly growing mass of fighting people. Grimmjow's eyes widened.

'Shit, a bar fight,' he groaned. 'I hate those! Some idiot thinks that he got insulted and starts a fight which only escalates because people here just _love_ a good fight!'

'What? Why?' Ichigo asked in surprise. Grimmjow shrugged his shoulders.

'We just like to tough it out I guess,' he sighed. He was almost knocked off his feet as someone shoved him into a table. Grimmjow rubbed his sore muscles and glared at the crowd. 'Pass auf, wo du hinrennst, du Idiot!'

Ichigo laughed. Grimmjow glared at him.

'What's so funny?' he growled.

'You looked so gloomy before and now all of a sudden your 'don't mess with me' mode is switched on full swing!' Ichigo chuckled.

'Fuck you!' Grimmjow said with a roll of his eyes. Before Ichigo could reply, a man knocked the orange-haired boy to one side. Grimmjow's eyes widened. 'Ichi-!'

Someone else pulled him back so that he fell flat on his back. He groaned as his neck ached. Who the fuck started this crazy fight? Someone could get lost in this like he just lost Ichigo-

He froze as realization hit him. Shinji! Of course! Who else would come up with a crazy plan like this! Though he had to hand it to him, it was pretty clever to use a bar fight to cause this commotion. Then again, Shinji could be pretty smart if he wasn't drooling over some guy's ass. He'd have to thank Shinji later. If he wasn't busy staring at Renji that is.

Grimmjow quickly rolled away as two brawling men stomped towards him. He scrambled to his feet and craned his neck across the room. He couldn't spot Ichigo anywhere. Good. Now he could escape.

'Where'd ya think you're goin'?' slurred a voice behind him and a pair of hands shoved him hard. Grimmjow turned around and found himself face to face with the town drunk Shunsei. Oh great, just what he needed.

'Ya think ya get get away tha' easily, huh, Ukitake?' the drunk man muttered as he squinted at Grimmjow. Oh, this was rich. He thought Grimmjow was Ukitake, the man he was secretly in love with while he was married.

Easy, Shunsei,' Grimmjow sighed. 'I'm not Ukitake. You're just drunk.'

'Don' lie ta me, Ukituki!' Shunsei yelled and drooped forward. 'I know ya when I see ya and ya know I'm through with this cat an' mouse game! I'm gonna take the plunge an' make ya mine!'

Grimmjow tried not to laugh. Shunsei could be pretty funny when he was drunk. The funniest moment was when he mistook a mop for Ukitake. The entire café was laughing at him for _that_.

'C'mon, Shunsei, I gotta split,' Grimmjow told him and turned around to leave when Shunsei grabbed him forcefully, taking Grimmjow by surprise. Who knew he was strong when he was drunk!

'I told ya I ain' gunna wait anymo'!' Shunsei uttered and leaned in close, his lips puckering. Grimmjow wrinkled his nose. Fucking hell, this wasn't why he became a waiter and he wasn't going to make it a reason now!

'Shunsei!' Grimmjow struggled to break free but Shunsei had an iron grip on his wrist. 'Lemme go! Shun-!'

Of course, Shunsei didn't let go but he ended up anyway. Well, if someone knocked you out and you lost conscience you were bound to let go of whatever you were holding. It was common sense.

Grimmjow gaped at Shunsei's inert figure sprawled out on the floor before he stared at a grinning Ichigo.

'Hey!' Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. 'Nobody gets to kiss you but me! And I don't care how drunk they are I'm still going to kick their ass!'

Grimmjow started laughing. Ichigo was really too much!

'C'mon! Help me put him somewhere safe so that he doesn't get trampled!' Grimmjow exclaimed, pushing people aside as he grabbed Shunsei's legs. Ichigo nodded

'Ukitake?' Shunsei said blearily as Ichigo grabbed his arms. Then, the man uttered a loud snore. Both boys looked at the man and started laughing again.

'I can't believe he's sleeping right now!' Ichigo gasped as the two of them struggled to carry him through the heaving crowd. 'Who's Ukitake?'

'Some guy he was in love with. He goes a bit loopy when he's drunk and thinks everything is Ukitake,' Grimmjow grunted as they shoved his body onto the bar counter.

'Every_thing_?' Ichigo queried as he slipped away from the snoring man. Then he frowned at the narrow counter. 'Won't he fall off?

Grimmjow looked at Shunsei thoughtfully.

'You're right,' he answered and then shoved the man so that he fell into the little bar with a loud thud. Ichigo gaped at the now empty counter. Then he stared at Grimmjow. Then, as if they had planned this, they burst out laughing like idiots.

'I can't believe you just did that!' Ichigo said in between laughs.

'Well, you had a point and that was the only thing I could think off!' Grimmjow retorted. He suddenly pulled Ichigo towards himself as a guy got shoved in Ichigo's direction.

'We need to get out of here!' Ichigo remarked and, grabbing Grimmjow's hand, began to drag him through the tussling people. 'Hope Renji's okay!'

'He's with Shinji! He'll be fine!' Grimmjow reassured. If he was right and Shinji _did_ start this fight, then Renji was pretty safe. Comparatively to the rest of the people in the café that is.

'What a weird way to start today!' Ichigo suddenly laughed and turned around to beam at Grimmjow. 'But I guess it's not so bad 'cause I got you!'

Grimmjow's heart did a little backflip and he squeezed Ichigo's hand while grinning like an idiot.

'Right back at ya!' he agreed.

_**TRANSLATIONS:**_

**-Ich denke, ich werde heute Nacht trotzdem nicht allein schlafen: I guess I won't be sleeping alone tonight anyway.**

**- Der Boss sagt, du kannst jetzt los: The boss says you're free to go now**

**-Pass auf, wo du hinrennst du Idiot: Watch where you're going, jackass**


	6. Chapter 6

**Now don't I take my sweet time in updating? Okay, Gomenasai! This is kinda my last week of the semester hence I've been busy with exams and what not. Don't expect an update until AFTER April now except on 'xXBleach ScandalsXx' because those take less than an hour to write. So I hope you all enjoy this one and please review! *puppy dog eyes* **

'Come on!' Grimmjow laughed as he dragged Ichigo out of the dance hall and onto the moonlit street of the little German town.

'Aw, Grimm, but I was having fun!' Ichigo guffawed as he let the blue-haired youth pull him along as they half ran and half stumbled along the way, breathless from laughing and dancing so much.

Grimmjow finally stopped and released Ichigo's hand so he could clutch the side of his stomach while leaning against a lit lamppost. Ichigo put his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. His eyes were fixed on Grimmjow's back and a merry smile was fixed on his lips.

He didn't know what that bar fight did but it somehow jolted some strange energy into them that wouldn't allow them to rest until they had ventured into every place in town and enjoyed it for all it was worth.

They had just recently escaped a dance hall, where the owner, Mashiro, just wouldn't let them leave until they had danced on a couple dozen more songs. Maybe it was just Ichigo but the people in Germany were just so _energetic_ about everything: dancing, drinking, laughing, eating, you name it they had lived it to ten times the enjoyment.

But he loved it. He loved the almost visible vigor literally overflowing from this town and its people. There was never a moment of dullness or sadness. It was like the people didn't even know the meaning of the word. No wonder Grimmjow had missed home so much.

He glanced at Grimmjow, who had now straightened up to lean his back against the post instead. The boy's blue eyes were fixed on the moon, a tranquil smile on his face. The light from the orb shone down on his hair and literally made it glow, like some eerie fairy light. Ichigo almost forgot how to breathe.

He didn't want to say that Grimmjow looked positively beautiful right now. Even though Grimmjow was in a good mood, that wouldn't stop him from socking Ichigo for calling him that. Not that Grimmjow would mind being complimented. It just irritated him that Ichigo always chose to spout praises that were meant for women.

'This might seem weird but I've kinda hated the full moon,' Grimmjow suddenly said languidly.

'Why would that be weird?' Ichigo asked curiously as he stood up and glanced at the round sphere hanging perfectly right in the center of the inky sky.

'Dunno, guess 'cause I've always associated the moon with wolves, vampires, things that go bump in the night,' Grimmjow answered with a shrug of his shoulder. He then grinned at Ichigo. 'The moon used to scare me as a kid. I thought that it was the light of the monsters, making them appear creepier and scarier.'

'Jeez, were you paranoid,' Ichigo muttered aloud, earning him a rough punch on the arm. He laughed before leaning against Grimmjow, wrapping one arm around his boyfriend's waist.

'I had fun today,' Ichigo said sheepishly, resting his head on Grimmjow's shoulder. He was glad that they were practically the same height otherwise this would have been difficult.

'Same,' Grimmjow sighed and nodded his head. He in turn rested his head on top of Ichigo's. He sniffed the orangehead's hair and smirked. 'You smell like a strawberry.'

This time he got the playful punch on his side.

'Fuck, Ichigo!' Grimmjow gasped from laughing so hard, trying to elbow out of Ichigo's hold now. 'That really fucking hurt that time!'

'You deserved it!' Ichigo retorted as he refused to let Grimmjow go. Grimmjow suddenly lost balance and teetered off the edge of the sidewalk.

Eyes widening, Ichigo quickly made a grab for the bluenette. However, he pulled so hard and fast that Grimmjow collided into him. They would've fallen onto the ground instead if the shop wall hadn't been so close by behind them.

'You're a fucking menace,' Grimmjow muttered and narrowed his eyes at Ichigo. The teen managed a smirk despite the back of his head throbbing like an angry Renji.

'You know you love it,' Ichigo said smarmily and leaned forward to kiss the tip of Grimmjow's nose. Grimmjow's entire face reddened as his head snapped back and he covered his nose with his hand. Ichigo smiled and blew on Grimmjow's hair so that it fluttered, making Grimmjow scrunch his eyes. 'Hey, Grimm?'

'What?'

'You don't have to be scared of things anymore. Because I'm here. I'm always going to be here. And I'm going to make you realize that the moon is nothing but the moon and that the monsters will only scare you if you let them. And I'm not going to let them. You got that, Grimm?'

Grimmjow's eyes widened at Ichigo's speech, slowly removing the hand covering his nose. Ichigo just hoped that he couldn't sense Ichigo's heart beating like a mad horse on a rampage in his chest. And the fact that his body was shaking _real_ bad. Or maybe Grimmjow did notice it but he wasn't going to say anything.

'Ichi…' Grimmjow murmured as he leaned forward. Ichigo didn't wait to do the same. He had been itching to touch, kiss, _taste_ Grimmjow the minute they had left the café. He didn't know how long was he going to last before he had enough and would-

Ichigo was suddenly blinded by a bright light. He squinted. Okay, make that _two_ bright lights from a…_car?_

'Who the hell is that?' Ichigo muttered as Grimmjow left his arms to shield his own eyes from the glare and was trying to decipher who could be on the streets of the town at this deserted hour. The silhouette of a slim figure exited the sleek vehicle. It looked like it had crossed its arms while looking straight at them.

'Grimmjow,' uttered a low, silvery voice tinged with anger, 'Wo warst du?'

That voice sounded very familiar to Ichigo but he couldn't put his finger on it. However, it got a strange reaction out of Grimmjow, whose eyes widened to the size of round saucers.

'Onkel Gin,' he murmured.

* * *

><p>Shit, shit, shit.<p>

He forgot. He couldn't believe he had fucking forgotten to meet Onkel Gin today. That had been the reason he had wanted to avoid Ichigo in the first place. But he had gotten so caught up in the fun, in being with Ichigo, that he completely and utterly forgot about his Onkel.

He hung his head in shame as Gin approached him.

'Do you know I have been searching all over town for you?' he said coldly in German.

Grimmjow flinched, knowing Gin was only using German because he didn't want Ichigo to know that he was scolding Grimmjow. Too bad he didn't know Ichigo could understand German now. So Ichigo was fully aware of how Grimmjow was being rebuked.

'Urahara told me you ran off without a word once you got off work,' Gin continued. He wasn't even smiling. And that was unnatural for his Onkel Gin. 'And there was no way of contacting you because you left your cellphone behind. Shinji wouldn't even pick up his and I don't even know where _he's_ at! Do you know how _worried_ your mother has been? She wanted to get the police involved but I stepped in and volunteered to look for you. Honestly, I didn't think I _would_ find you! And now I find you cuddling up to some stranger who could, for all you know, be a hoo-!'

Ichigo suddenly coughed, getting Gin's attention.

'Ich bin mit Grimmjow zusammen,' Ichigo said politely. Gin stood stunned for a few minutes. Grimmjow's heart beat frantically.

Why did Ichigo just go and do that? Onkel Gin was _fucking_ mad at Grimmjow, _clearly_, and Ichigo interfering like that was _not_ helping his situation. Well, obviously calling Ichigo a hooker might have been enough reason for the orangehead to butt in but _still_, couldn't he hold his tongue this time?

'Ah! Well, it's very nice to meet you, Ichigo! I have heard so much about you!' Gin finally said, his characteristic Cheshire grin back. Grimmjow stared at him. What just happened?

'Um, thanks,' Ichigo said, rather uncomfortably even though he was trying to hide it. Onkel Gin had that effect on people on first time encounters. But once they got to know him, he was generally a nice man. Generally. Depending on how much he liked you.

Even though Gin had only heard about Ichigo and probably seen a picture or two, he perhaps didn't expect to meet Grimmjow's boyfriend so…soon.

'I don't think Grimmjow has said much about me,' Gin stated and extended a hand. 'I'm Gin Ichimaru, a friend of the family even though Grimm here likes to call me Onkel Gin. But what can you do? Old habits die hard.'

Ichigo managed a smile. Grimmjow chewed on his lower lip. It looked like Ichigo wasn't suspicious about anything. And Gin wasn't wearing a look like he wanted to strangle Ichigo.

'I'm sorry you had to…hear me scold Grimmjow like that,' Gin apologized and even bowed a little. Ichigo almost started in alarm. Even Grimmjow was surprised at how formal Onkel Gin was being. 'Since that dreadful incident with Aizen, I've been very overprotective of him. I think my daily routine is eat, sleep, and worry about Grimmjow.'

He chuckled a bit before nodding at Ichigo.

'We must meet again but in proper circumstances next time,' he remarked. 'How about coming to dinner tomorrow, hm? I normally drop by then to pay the family a visit. I'm sure Grimmjow would love it if you came. Am I right, Grimmjow?'

Grimmjow almost jumped when he was addressed. He kinda hadn't been expecting it out of the blue like that.

'Huh? Uh, yeah, sure,' he said quickly and smiled at Ichigo, taking his hand to squeeze it gently. 'Mutter would love to finally meet you.'

'Sure, I'd like that,' Ichigo grinned back.

'Let's go, Grimmjow. I'll drop you home. Ichigo, would you like-' Gin started.

'It's alright. My hotel is only a block away from here,' Ichigo stated and pointed. 'I'm trying to get the hang of the streets around here so it's best if I go myself. But thanks anyways.'

'Suit yourself.' With that Gin, turned away to walk back to his car.

As Grimmjow was about to follow him, he suddenly felt a sharp tug on his wrist. Before he could think, he had been wheeled around and kissed sweetly on the lips. When Ichigo and Grimmjow parted, Grimmjow stared at him with his mouth open. What the hell was that for?

'Hey, I haven't seen you in years and goddamnit I need to make up for the lost time,' Ichigo said with a grin before he took off.

Grimmjow touched his lips in a daze as he climbed into the car with Gin. He could still feel Ichigo on them; soft, warm, plump. He shivered and clutched his shirt nervously. God, the things Ichigo made him feel sometimes.

'Nice boy,' Gin uttered, his cheery tone gone. He took the car in reverse and pulled it out of the street onto the main road.

'Yeah,' Grimmjow murmured, still lost in his Ichigo dream.

'Is he the reason why you didn't want to meet? If so, you could have told me straight out instead of making me wait, Grimmjow.'

'Huh?' Grimmjow pulled out of his reverie to stare at Gin. 'Onkel Gin, it isn't like that! I was just-!'

'Grimmjow, I understand. I know you would much rather prefer Ichigo but please, don't string me along-'

'I'm not stringing you along!'

'We were supposed to talk things over. Get things straight so that we could all think clearly. But honestly, I shouldn't have expected you to act maturely. It was foolish on my part, Grimmjow, so I am sor-'

'Would you stop it!'

Gin suddenly slammed his foot on the brake, making the car skid to a halt right as a traffic light flashed red. The jerk almost threw Grimmjow off his seat if he hadn't been wearing a seat belt. Grimmjow gasped at his brush with death.

'Are you crazy? You could have killed us!' Grimmjow snapped angrily.

'It couldn't be helped. I was distracted by a rather irksome mite,' Gin said coolly. Grimmjow was seeing red now.

'You hate him,' Grimmjow said heatedly. 'You were being too nice for your own good. I knew something was wrong. You aren't that nice. You were mocking him.'

'Now, Grimmjow, I'm not that cynical,' Gin said lightly, his attention fixed on the traffic light as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

'No, but you can be annoying!' Grimmjow growled, eyes narrowed. 'Look, I'm _sorry_ I didn't come to see you but you don't have to treat Ichigo that way! He isn't to blame!'

'No,' Gin said slowly. 'No, he's not, I'm afraid. But someone is.'

Grimmjow felt his face flush as he quickly averted his eyes to the street. He looked down at his hands in his lap. Just what the hell was he doing with his life? Was he playing around with Ichigo? Was he just messing about because he could? That wasn't a good reason to treat Ichigo that way. Or even his Onkel Gin. They were nice people. They could actually like each other. If it wasn't for Grimmjow, that is. And the thing was, Ichigo didn't even know half the story so imagine how much worse it could actually be.

'I…' Grimmjow licked his lips, 'I do want to fix things, Onkel Gin. I really want to try. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. Not Ichigo. And not you.'

The light turned green. Gin's hands tightened on the steering wheel. Then, suddenly, he turned to Grimmjow, grabbed his chin and pulled him in for a deep kiss.

Grimmjow's eyes widened, his body pressed up against the side of the car. He shivered as Gin enclosed his hands in his own long-fingered ones. Grimmjow squeezed his eyes shut, letting Gin kiss him like there was no tomorrow. They didn't use tongue. But Gin didn't press him to open his mouth either.

When they finally parted, Grimmjow breathed deeply from his nose, his eyes popping open just in time to see Gin fix his hair and wrap his hands around the wheel again. He pressed the accelerator and the car zoomed forward.

'I told I was never going to let you slip away from me again, mein kleiner blauer,' Gin said softly, not even looking at Grimmjow. 'So no matter what happens, I'll never leave your side. And Ichigo better accept that.'

Grimmjow shivered and chose to stare out the window, his mind whirling with all kinds of emotions. Ichigo might accept Gin as part of Grimmjow's life but could Gin accept Ichigo to be part of his life as well?

**So just as a heads up, the next chapter is going to focus on Shinji and Renji ;D**

_**TRANSLATIONS:**_

**- Wo warst du?: Where have you been? **

**- Ich bin mit Grimmjow zusammen: I'm together with Grimmjow (as in, I'm his boyfriend. Danasy explained to me that there is no translation for "boyfriend" in German but this is the closest thing to stating you are someone's hubby so thank her for this translation :3)**

**- mein kleiner blauer: my little blue **


	7. Chapter 7

'You're nuts!' Renji yelled in shock.

Shinji just laughed crazily as he dragged the redhead out of the scuffle in the café. They stumbled down the street, never stopping. One time Renji fell into the street and almost got run over by a car if Shinji hadn't dragged him off to God knows where.

'You _do_ know what "nuts" means, right?' Renji panted when they finally stopped to catch their breath. 'Insane! Crazy! Loco! Not normal!'

'Who said I was normal?' Shinji gasped and leaned against a wall. He then leveled his gaze with Renji and winked. 'I like living on the edge, baby!'

'Fucking psycho,' Renji muttered. He looked around. Where were they anyway?

'Well,' Shinji sighed and straightened out his button up off white shirt. 'Since you got nothing to do and I got nothing to do, I thought we'd hang out. You like mini golf?'

Renji blinked in surprise.

'Woah, woah, woah! Who gave you the right to decide I got nothing to do?' Renji demanded and scowled. 'I gotta find Ichigo! God knows what happened to him when that fight broke out!'

'And anyway, I am _not_ spending time with this creep! Who knows what gay guys mean by "mini golf",' Renji thought and shuddered. He pulled out his cellphone and walked a few feet away from Shinji.

'Come on, come on, get a signal,' he muttered. The phone began to ring. He grinned. _Yes!_

Couple of rings later, someone picked up. And wherever that someone was that place was playing really, _really_ loud music that Renji had to keep the phone a few centimeters away from his ear.

'Ichigo?' he yelled into the mouthpiece. He heard a laugh that he distinctly recognized as Ichigo's. 'Ichi, where are you?'

'Huh? Renji?' Ichigo's voice buzzed. 'I-Grimm! Cut that out! It's-hey! That tickles! Hahaha! Okay, okay! Renji, I-!'

The phone clicked off. Renji stared at his phone. What the hell just happened?

'Any luck?' whispered a teasing voice in his ear as arms wrapped around him, trapping his arms to his sides.

'DUDE! Do you have any respect for personal space!' Renji yelped and wriggled away, his heart pounding erratically against his ribcage.

Shinji grinned lazily and leaned against a building while folding his arms.

'I'll answer your question if you answer mine,' he teased.

Renji felt his face burn him. He glared at his phone. He _so_ hated Ichigo for getting him stuck with this guy.

'He's with Grimmjow,' Renji muttered. 'Don't know where but there's a lot of loud music so I guess he's safe.'

Shinji was quiet. Surprised, Renji looked up and saw Shinji frowning at the ground. Renji raised an eyebrow. Was Shinji upset that Grimmjow was with Ichigo? Or that Ichigo was with Grimmjow? Wait, did Shinji have feelings for Grimmjow?

His eyes widened. Maybe Ichigo had it all wrong! Maybe it was _Shinji_ that was messing around with Grimmjow or something! It would make sense too. The way he was acting and stuff. But he couldn't jump to conclusions. This was just Renji's theory. He needed more proof. And the only way to do _that_ was to spend time with the blonde.

Renji gulped. Great.

'So, uh, about that mini golf plan?' he said in a small voice. 'Still up for it?'

Shinji looked up in surprise. Renji almost wished he hadn't said that. What was he _thinking_? Was _he_ going insane now? From the looks of things, Shinji was probably a _big_ flirt and he might just try to get Renji to go _all the way_.

FUCK! He was _not_ ready for that! He was _not_-

'Uh, Renji, you okay? Hellooooo?' Shinji muttered as he waved a hand in front of Renji's face.

'Huh? What? Whazzat?'

'I just said, "Sure, let's go," but you'd zoned out on me with this horrified look on your face. What? Am I _that_ bad?'

'Wha-What? Noooo! I was just thinking of…stuff.'

'Meh. Whatever. Shall we?'

'NO!' Renji's mind screamed. Renji smiled uneasily.

'Yeah,' he squeaked.

* * *

><p>'Oh my God, Cher, take me to heaven and douse me in cheesecake! That ass is <em>fine<em> with a capital F!' Shinji thought. He wiped his mouth, hoping he wasn't drooling as Renji turned around to return with his golf club.

'I've kinda never done this before,' Renji muttered nervously.

Shinji grinned widely. Oh, the number of possibilities of being able to _touch_ said fine ass suddenly opened up with that piece of information.

'Don't worry! I'd be happy to teach you!' Shinji offered as he guided the redhead to the golfing area.

The place was littered with miniature world wonders like the Taj Mahal as well as the Rio de Janeiro statue. They started with the simple course. Basically you putt the ball through a tunnel and into the hole on the other side.

'You first,' Shinji stepped aside, hoping his smirk wasn't too obvious. Renji stared at him in surprise and clutched his club tightly.

'Aren't you going to start and show me how?' he blurted out. Shinji tapped his chin in mock thought.

'I think a hands-on teaching will do the trick,' he answered casually.

Renji's eyes furrowed in confusion as he stood in front of the tee with the golf ball perched on it. Shinji quietly sidled behind him, bringing his arms forward to grab the club, barely brushing Renji's hands. Renji jumped and tried to pull away but Shinji held him in place with the golf club as a barrier.

'Hey, you wanna learn, riigghht?' Shinji sang, bringing his body closer to Renji's tense one. Thank _God_ he didn't have a boner or the redhead would be screaming "rape" for the entire golf course to hear.

Renji hesitated, his breathing getting lax. Then, his body relaxed but his shoulders remained stiff as he nodded to acknowledge Shinji's statement.

'Then you gotta let me teach you my way!' Shinji finished gleefully.

He helped Renji lower the club till the end was hovering in front of the golf ball. Shinji slipped his hands down so that they covered Renji's on the stick.

'Open your legs a bit,' Shinji muttered in his ear. Renji squeaked in terror which almost had Shinji laughing.

God, this guy was too much! Though maybe Shinji wouldn't mind his words meaning whatever Renji thought if they were in Shinji's bedroom…

'You need a better stance, Quatschkopf!' Shinji laughed and pushed Renji's feet apart with his own.

'What the hell does quatsi-whatever mean?' Renji said sharply. Obviously, he thought that Shinji had insulted him.

'Forget what I said and concentrate! Now, focus on transferring your energy to your arms and then swing. Not too hard or you might lose control but enough to get the ball going. Got it?'

'This is stupid.'

'You mess this up you'll _look_ stupid. Now concentrate.'

Renji breathed deeply. Then exhaled. Shinji released his hold a little to give Renji berth to swing. The redhead had got this. Or at least, Shinji thought he did.

'What the fuck is he-?' Shinji thought as Renji pulled his club _way_ too far and swung with it _way _too fast.

Before he could even move, Renji had connected with the ball and sent it ricocheted off the tunnel, out of their course, almost taking Shinji's head if he hadn't ducked, and bouncing off the Eiffel Tower before disappearing somewhere in the bushes.

'What the hell?' Shinji yelled and stared at Renji in bewilderment. 'I thought I told you not to swing that hard!'

'I didn't!' Renji yelled.

'Then what was that? A friendly pat?'

'I panicked!'

'You're playing mini golf!'

'You were making me nervous!'

Shinji raised both eyebrows. Then he grinned. Then, he began to laugh.

'Oh God, you're rich, you know that!' he guffawed and grabbed his stomach because it was hurting so much.

'Sh-Sh-Shut up!' Renji snapped. Shinji didn't have to look to know that the redhead was turning as dark as his hair.

'Okay, okay,' Shinji finally uttered, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. He grinned widely at an angry Renji. 'God, if we were dating, I'd kiss you right now.'

'I'm straight!' Renji uttered quickly and looked away, his hands fiddling with the club.

'That's what they all say before they meet me,' was what Shinji was about to say. But he didn't want to scare away his potential boy toy for the week. Hell, make it two weeks. This redhead was really making his nether regions dance.

'Cute,' he ended up saying. He tossed his club in the air before catching it. 'Guess I'm next.'

Renji quietly stepped aside as Shinji placed another golf ball on the tee and took his stance.

'Now watch a pro,' Shinji thought smugly.

'So, you bring all your dates here or something?' Renji asked. He sounded really reluctant in asking and by his tone, Shinji could tell Renji even felt uncomfortable asking. Well, he could humor the boy.

'Sometimes,' Shinji answer and kept looking from the golf ball to the tunnel, getting the best angle to score a hole-in-one. 'It's not impressive but I guess it's pretty romantic to me.'

What's so romantic about mini golf?'

'Dunno. I got to hold you for a couple of minute so you tell me.'

Shinji knew he was teasing the poor guy to bits. But he couldn't help it. It was his nature. Now he just needed to reel the guy in and-

'So, uh, do you bring Grimmjow here sometimes, too?'

'Huh?' Shinji, who had been about to swing, hit the ball too weakly and sent it wobbling off to bounce into a corner.

'I mean, well, I don't mean like a date or anything but, umm, you know, to hang out and…' Renji began to babble.

Shinji narrowed his eyes. _What_ was this redhead getting at?

'Yeah, Grimmjow and I come here but as _friends_,' Shinji explained. He crossed his arms. 'Why'd you ask?'

The redhead was suddenly interested in his club's handle.

'No reason,' he replied a little too quickly. 'Just…uh…I respect bro-time and all that between a guy and his…gay best friend…'

Oh, damn! So Ichigo probably set Renji up to ask if anything was going on between him and Grimmjow! Well, not that Shinji was mad or anything, it was only logical for a boyfriend to be suspicious and not want to ask their beau directly in case it made them angry. Guess he respected that. As long as they _didn't_ touch on the topic of Gin, Shinji was willing to deny _every_ suspicion Ichigo had of Grimmjow.

God, Shinji was such a good friend. Grimmjow owed him _so_ much. Like maybe a free bar tab for life.

'Woah, hey, if you think I'd hit on Grimm I'd _never_ do _that_!' Shinji suddenly said. 'He's mein bester Kumpel and thinking of Grimmjow in that sense is kinda gross to me to be honest.'

Renji looked relieved. And to an extent, so was Shinji. He just hoped that was Ichigo's _only_ suspicion.

'Well, that's good to know,' Renji exclaimed. 'I mean, Ichi-!'

He stopped himself and his eyes widened in horror. Shinji just yawned.

'It's okay! I kinda guessed Ichigo set you up to this!' he remarked with a sly grin. Then he walked up to Renji and leaned forward so that they were barely a few inches apart. 'You're kinda easy to read. Like right now I can tell you don't like me being this close to you.'

'No, so could you _move_, please,' Renji muttered, a tone of irritation in his voice. He was leaning back to maintain the space he preferred with Shinji. Shinji just snickered and leaned even closer.

'Keep leaning backwards and I might just have to catch you,' Shinji murmured with a raised eyebrow. 'Didn't know I had the ability to sweep you off your feet on the first date.'

'Shut up,' Renji muttered and gathered enough courage to push Shinji back so that he could straighten out.

He fixed his shirt which had ridden up from having to lean back so far. Shinji flickered his eyes down before that bit of skin was hidden from his view.

Mmm, so the redhead worked out, huh? What Shinji would give to lick those well-sculpted, toned muscles and coc-

'I wonder how long Ichigo and Grimmjow will be out for,' Renji remarked. He was now walking to the other course which was down a path behind a restaurant building, completely blocked from the rest of the crowd's view.

'Who knows,' Shinji sighed, disappointed at being interrupted from his fantasy. 'Those two hadn't seen each other for a while so maybe they're going to have a little fun. If you know what I mean.'

He winked.

'Just hope Grimmjow knows what he's doing though,' he couldn't help thinking in worry.

Sure, he looked out for Grimmjow and liked it when the blue-haired teen had some fun but he didn't want to see Grimmjow get hurt in any way.

'Wouldn't Grimmjow's parents get worried?' Renji persisted.

'Not really, no. He's a big boy. He can take care of himself.'

'_Sure_ nobody's going to worry about him?'

Shinji narrowed his eyes. He _really_ didn't like it if his dates talked about anyone _else_ on their time together, regardless of whether it was Grimmjow or not. And he _really_ didn't like where Renji was going with this either. The redhead was up to something. He kept on bringing up Ichigo and Grimmjow, Ichigo and Grimmjow. It didn't look like he was worried about Ichigo. More like…

Shinji's eyes widened.

'What the-hey!' Renji squawked as Shinji pinned him to the wall by his forearms. Their clubs clattered to the floor but Shinji wasn't paying attention. 'Shinji! What're you-!'

'You got a crush on Grimmjow or something?' Shinji demanded quietly. Renji stopped struggling and stared.

'What the-no! No! Fuck, double no! He's Ichigo's! Like hell I'd be crushing on him! Didn't I tell you I was straight!' Renji quickly explained. His wriggled his arms a little. 'Dude, could you let go of me now?'

'Huh, you're pretty loyal to Ichigo, by the way,' Shinji remarked as he let go. He bent down to retrieve their clubs. 'That's some friendship.'

'Yeah,' Renji muttered and took his club. 'I'd kinda do anything for the guy. Don't know why. I just would.'

'Yeah?' Shinji crossed his arms. 'Same with me and Grimmjow. If he needed me I'd be there without hesitation. There's just something about him that I just can't abandon him when he needs me.'

Renji tilted his head to one side in curiosity. Then, he glanced down at the club.

'Here.' He handed Shinji the club who stared at it in surprise. 'I kinda need to go. Though thanks for taking me here. I had fun.'

He turned to leave. Shinji stared at the club and then Renji's retreating back. Fuck, why couldn't he say something witty like he normally did on his dates? Why was he standing around like some idiot? Just what kinda of hold did this guy have on Shinji?

'Hey!' he managed to utter.

Renji looked over his shoulder in confusion. Shinji licked his lips. Now what?

'Uh, don't I at least get a hug?' he blurted out.

Really? A hug? He should just smash his head against the wall right now. Really? _That's _the best he could come up with?

'You serious?' Renji asked in surprise.

'Why would I be asking?'

'…'

'…'

'…Argh, I feel so stupid,' Renji muttered as he stomped over and hugged Shinji around the middle.

Shinji stared at the redhead now nestled against his chest. Then, he slowly brought his arms up and hugged back. He even rested his chin on Renji's head.

Hm, this actually felt nice.

'Happy?' Renji asked before he pulled away.

'No,' Shinji almost replied sullenly. That was too damn short to be called a hug in his opinion. But he let it go. Instead, he just grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.

'See ya around I guess,' he ended up saying with a casual wave. Renji saluted and was off.

Shinji covered his face with his hand and groaned.

'Shit,' he thought. 'That guy's in love with Ichigo.'

* * *

><p>'Damn it,' Renji muttered as he ran down the streets back to his hotel. 'Shinji's in love with Grimmjow.'<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Thankies once again to danasy for translations! Hope you guys enjoyed a little ShinRenji time! Next chapter will be the dinner! And perhaps an explosion of emotions! _<strong>

_**TRANSLATIONS:**  
><em>

_**-Quatschkopf: silly head**_

_**-mein bester Kumpel: my best buddy**_


	8. Chapter 8

**SO SO SO SOOOO SORRY about not updating this in a while! I've just been having writer's block here because I want to go in a certain direction but I didn't know how to put it down! Ugh! I hate when that happens...**

**Somehow, this story is going to be longer than I thought! Meaning a couple more chappies than just 10! Guess that's good news for you guys!**

****BTW if some of you haven't heard, is deleting some stories with EXPLICIT details. Personally, should just make an R rated section for that kind of material so that people are aware of what they are reading instead of going around deleting other people's tediously worked on stories. It is uncalled for and should have been DISCUSSED with us writers before they went ahead to delete stuff! It's just so pissing off that I don't know how else to describe my anger really. ****

*****breathes deeply*****

**Enjoy!^w^**

* * *

><p>'You gotta be fucking kidding me,' Grimmjow groaned as he pulled out the mashed potatoes from the oven. The heavenly scent of cooked potatoes filled the little kitchen and wafted into the dining room as he carried it there, closely followed by a hyper Shinji.<p>

'Would I be fucking kidding you? Fucking but not kidding. And not you. Your friend Ylfordt who you _promised_ to introduce me to,' Shinji pointed out.

'Shut up. Can't you see I'm busy?'

'Speaking of which, how come _I _wasn't invited?'

'Because I am _really_ hating you right now!' He turned around and almost bumped into Shinji. 'Will you get out of the way!'

'Someone's got their panties in a twist.'

'My panties have every right to be in a twist because Ichigo's coming over to my place for the first time and so is Onkel Gin who I plan on talking things out with so that Ichigo doesn't get hurt! On top of that, I have you blabbering that Renji is in love with Ichigo and that is _not_ helping!'

'Hey! Just telling it like it is! That guy was _pretty_ nosy about your relationship with Ichigo!'

'He's Ichigo's best friend! Of course he's concerned about who his best friend is dating!'

'Yeah, but the way he was going about it wasn't normal bromance! It was kinda more…_intimate_!'

'You're just paranoid.' Grimmjow wrinkled his nose. 'Did you just say bromance?'

'That's not the point! The thing is, what're you gonna do about it? Are you going to confront Ichigo or are you going to let that sexy redhead get a piece of him before you even have a chance?'

'What the hell? Shinji, _why_ do I get the feeling that you're more concerned about this because _you_ want to get a piece of that "sexy redhead"?'

'That's not answering the question, Grimm.'

'Ugh! I don't know what I'm doing, okay? I'm just so fucking messed up with so many things and they're all coming at me all at once and I just want them all to fucking go awa-!'

'Grimmjow!'

'Shit!'

Grimmjow, who had been trying to take out the formal dinnerware, had almost dropped it in his rant, forcing his Mutter to run forward and grab them from his hands before they were nothing but broken pieces on the floor.

'Honestly, I know you're nervous about Ichigo coming over but no need to ruin my best ware before he gets here otherwise we'll be eating off the plastic party plates!' the aged woman sighed. She brushed a stray blue strand of hair off her forehead and frowned at her youngest son. 'Is there something else troubling you? You know you can tell me.'

'It's nothing,' Grimmjow answered quickly. She raised an eyebrow. She wasn't a Mutter for nothing! She could probably see the guilt all over Grimmjow's face. Before Grimmjow could start squirming uncomfortably, Shinji jumped in to _assure _he squirmed uncomfortably.

'He's just nervous because he's planning to surprising Ichigo with something special tonight, Mutter,' Shinji drawled with a wink. Grimmjow scowled at him.

'Whaat?' Shinji remarked with a grin.

'Fuck off, Shinji!' Grimmjow hissed.

'Grimmjow! Language!' his Mutter scolded him.

'Listen to Mutter!' Shinji teased.

'Get _out_!' Grimmjow spat out.

'Let's see what Mutter has to say about that! Mutter, may I stay for dinner tonight?' Shinji asked innocently while batting his eyelashes.

'Of course you can, Shinji! You're always welcome!' Mutter said briskly and patted Grimmjow's furious face. 'Now you go relax! I can handle things around here! And Sohn, sex is a natural thing! You don't need to be scared of it!'

'Mut-_ter!_' Grimmjow cried out, blushing tomato red. He stormed out of the kitchen, followed by a cackling Shinji. It wasn't a surprise that Shinji referred to her as "Mutter" as well. In fact, she insisted on it. And who was Shinji to complain?

'I love her,' Shinji sniggered. 'Lovely woman.'

'Demons, the lot of you,' Grimmjow muttered.

'So coming back to the previous problem,' Shinji remarked, slinging an arm over Grimmjow's shoulders, 'I know it sounds farfetched that Renji might be in love with Ichigo but think about this, why is that redhead here with Ichigo anyway? Not that I'm complaining! _Fine_ piece of ass! Wouldn't mind tapping that _hard_…'

'Get to the point,' Grimmjow growled.

'Yeah, so, while you've been here in Germany, he's been back in Japan spending time with Ichigo. You know, comforting him, making sure he's having fun, keeping all his needs _satisfied_…'

'Ichigo would never,' Grimmjow said icily.

'Neither would you. But then, how would you explain Onkel Gin?'

Shinji had hit a low point. But Grimmjow couldn't bring himself to deny it. What Shinji just said was the truth. And now, all of a sudden, it wasn't so surprising that Ichigo _would_ have gone to Renji for comfort. After all, hadn't Grimmjow done the same?

Grimmjow bit his lower lip to stop it from trembling. He wasn't _jealous_ per say but it hurt to think that maybe Ichigo was having a relationship with someone else. Was that how Ichigo would feel if he found out about him and Onkel?

The doorbell suddenly rang, making the two friends jump. They didn't realize how silent they had gotten after Shinji's icy reply.

'Can you get that? Also, can someone check if Nel is up from her nap?' Mutter yelled from the kitchen.

'I'll see to Nel!' Shinji announced. He turned to Grimmjow with a serious expression. 'You know, Grimm, if you _ever _want me to take that Renji off your hands, all you gotta do is give the signal and he and I will be heading to the guest room. Just ignore all the screaming 'cause I'll be pounding him into the matt-!'

'Leave already!' Grimmjow growled and shoved him away. Sniggering, Shinji bounded away, leaving Grimmjow alone to his own thoughts.

His scowl subsided and he began to chew at his lip once more. Shinji's response had him thinking now. Maybe it was best to leave Ichigo in the dark. If Grimmjow seemed so hurt about Ichigo possibly being in a relationship with Renji, then Ichigo would be furious about Grimmjow's relationship with Onkel Gin. But then, he promised to talk things over with his Onkel. Should he chicken out? Again?

He opened the door and almost jumped in shock.

'Onkel?' Grimmjow blurted as the figure of his Onkel Gin stood in the doorway. The man's smile grew a little and he tilted his head to one side.

'My, my, do I detect disappointment?' he teased and without warning, bent down to peck Grimmjow on the lips. Grimmjow jumped back a little too late. He covered his mouth with his hand, still feeling his Onkel's lips on his. Why did it burn now? Why did it hurt to kiss him at this moment?

His Onkel saw the shock in Grimmjow's eyes and the stiffness in his body. His smile dropped.

'What are you scared of, mein kleiner blauer?' he said quietly and glided into the room. Grimmjow coaxed his tongue to move with great difficulty.

'I…I'm just nervous, Onkel,' Grimmjow mumbled, slowly letting his hand to drop to his side.

'Are you going to avoid it again?' The words were sharp and curt. Grimmjow lowered his gaze, his mind buzzing with jumbled up thoughts. Should he play the coward once more?

'No,' he murmured softly. He clenched his hands into fists. He didn't say anything more. He didn't want to. He was afraid he would just confuse things even more. Might give false hope. It was already such a _mess_.

He wasn't going to back down now. He hated hurting Ichigo like this. He needed to decide, once and for all, that the only one he wanted was Ichigo. But would his Onkel understand?

'Onkel Gin!'

Both turned their heads to see Shinji and Nel who was bouncing on the balls of her feet with her eyes shining with admiration. She toddled forward and collided with Gin's legs while hugging them tightly.

'You're here! You're here! Nel is so happy to see you!' she lisped in her childish voice. Then she gave him her mean stare. 'Did you bring Nel candy?'

'I never forget!' Gin chuckled and pulled out a tiny bag. Her eyes widened and she started bouncing even more. Gin held up a finger then. 'But _after_ dinner, Nel! Just like always!'

'Awwww!' Nel pouted.

'I think I've spoilt you,' Gin sighed and ruffled her hair.

'She's not the only one you've spoilt,' Shinji muttered as he came level with Grimmjow. He noticed the odd pinkness to his friend's cheek and raised an eyebrow. 'What's the plan, Grimm?'

'Wh-What?'

'What're you going to do when Ichigo gets here? You got both your Onkel _and_ him under the same roof. Something's going to explode and I don't think it's going to be Mutter's famous roast chicken.'

'I…I guess I'm going to have to talk to…Ichigo. I'm going to have to come clean. It's…the right thing to do.'

Grimmjow watched his Onkel tease Nel a bit more. Onkel Gin had done _so much_ for his family. But then, Ichigo had mended him when he came to realize how broken he truly was. It wasn't fair that he had to be the one to decide who gets hurt. Though either way, he was going to be just as hurt. Because it was going to be his fault.

Shinji sighed and patted his shoulder.

'Look, I don't think Ichigo's going to be too mad.' Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. 'I mean, give or take a couple of days but you two will be back together in no time! Trust me on this!'

'Trust _you_?'

'Okay, okay, trust Mutter's cooking to be superbly awesome! _Now_ do you trust me?'

Grimmjow creaked a smile.

'Sure.'

As he turned to the doorway, that smile immediately dropped.

'Remember that promise you made that you'd take you-know-who off my hands,' Grimmjow gritted out.

'Uh, yeaahhh…'

'You're up, Romeo.'

* * *

><p>'How the hell did I let you talk me into this?' Renji groaned. '<em>Why<em> did I let you talk me into this? Am I _that_ gullible?'

'Free food. You like free food. And yes, you are,' Ichigo sighed as they walked up to the quaint little house in the neighborhood. It was such a peaceful place. Even the people were friendly, waving at them as they walked by.

'You get a kick out of making fun of me, don't you?'

'Probably, yeah.'

'Ichigo.'

'Hm?'

'You nervous?'

Ichigo felt like lying. But then he thought otherwise and turned around to smile helplessly at Renji.

'Guess you could say that,' he breathed. They stopped walking. Ichigo looked off at something beyond Renji's shoulder. His mind was buzzing with so many thoughts right now; Grimmjow, Gin, Shinji…

'Renji,' he said listlessly, not making eye contact with his best friend. 'You sure you think that Shinji's…got a _thing_ for Grimmjow…'

'Ichigo. I was there. I swear I got that vibe. I mean, the way that blondie cared about Grimmjow was beyond normal bromance!'

'Huh…' Then Ichigo wrinkled his nose. 'Dude, did you just say bromance?'

'Shut up. look, forget about the Shinji thing right now! You're here to spend time with Grimmjow! And God damn it, I bet that's what he wants too! So regardless of who's there, me, his Onkel, it doesn't matter to him! Grimmjow loves you and you love him! Enjoy yourselves!'

'Thanks, Renji. Really, I appreciate you coming with me.'

Ichigo truly did. Ever since he met Onkel Gin, he couldn't shake the odd feeling that Grimmjow's uncle had given Ichigo. It was strained and oddly mechanical. Like the man had been forcing himself to be polite to Ichigo. But why? And why had he even invited Ichigo for dinner? Everything just seemed _off_. And now Renji found out that Shinji liked Grimmjow. This had to be the most twisted and messed up love triangle/square/trapezium _ever_.

Which was why he was glad Renji was here with him. He didn't know what he might do at the dinner and in a strange place all by himself. He might just end up making a fool of himself. True Grimmjow was there but a guy always needed that one best friend who will drag himself through tar and nails for his best bud, even if he was being blackmailed. Renji was like that to a T. And Ichigo wouldn't have had it any other way.

'And besides,' Ichigo drawled as he stretched out his arms over his head. 'If Shinji is there, at least I got a secret weapon to distract him!'

Renji blushed so fast he could have passed as a traffic light.

'Shut it, Ichigo!' he snapped angrily though his red face just made everything too comical. 'I'm not doing _anything _involving that pervert! I'm not! Ichigo, I'm _not_! Ichi-_will you stop smirking at me_?'

The poor guy looked so helpless as he tried to defend himself. Ichigo didn't actually know that Renji had a thing for Shinji. He just decided to throw it out there and see Renji's reaction. He was just as surprised, though more delightfully compared to poor Renji, to see his best friend flushing and hyperventilating like a schoolgirl who had just discovered boys. He was aware that Renji didn't swing that way. But the fact that he could react like that at the mention of the blonde's name was in short interesting. Just what kind of charm did that blonde have to do this to his straight best friend?

'Okay, okay, calm down, Renji!' Ichigo laughed and stuck out a leg to kick Renji's knee. 'I'm just fucking! But come on, you've always got my back! And I've always got yours! And as true abiders of the _bromance_…' he had to control himself from rolling his eyes, '…we always gotta be there for each other! So what do you say?'

Renji sighed in exasperation and began to walk up the footpath to Grimmjow's home. Chuckling, Ichigo followed. Though he froze when he saw who was standing in the already open doorway. Make that two who's.

That Onkel Gin was giving him his odd, steely smile again.

'Look who showed up!' he said in his saccharine tone. Ichigo tried not to flinch but he did ball up his hands into fists. 'Just in time too! Stimmt doch, oder Nel?'

The green-haired little girl in his lap giggled and buried her face in his neck. Ichigo forced himself to smile and concentrated on Grimmjow's face instead. He frowned lightly. Was it just him or did Grimmjow look slightly angry? Then he realized why.

'Oh! I'm sorry I forgot to tell you!' he apologized and hurried into the house, squeezing past Gin, to hug Grimmjow. He needed that comfort right now otherwise he would be glaring bloody murder at Shinji. 'I decided to bring Renji along because I felt bad leaving him all alone at the hotel! I hope you don't mind!'

Why was Grimmjow's body so tense? Was he that mad about Renji being here?

''Course he doesn't mind! He's one hellava nice guy! Aren't you, Grimm?' Shinji said merrily as he pulled Grimmjow out of Ichigo's arm so that he himself could sling an arm over the blue-haired boy's shoulders. Ichigo tried to stop himself from scowling at the blonde and snarling at him to let go of _his_ Grimmjow.

'Huh? Uh, yeah, yeah, sure! The more the merrier!' Grimmjow said distractedly. His eyes were focused on Ichigo's face and he frowned a little. Ichigo hoped he wasn't giving Shinji a murderous glare that obviously.

'If we're all here, then let's dig in! I'm sure your Mutter has made a scrumptious meal as always!' Gin remarked as he walked past them to the dining room.

'Sure, let's,' Ichigo managed to get out without sounding venomous. As Renji came up to him, he gave the redhead such an intense look, he hoped his best friend got the message before he punched somebody, preferably Gin or Shinji. He wasn't picky.

Fortunately, Renji got it because he raised his eyebrows as if to say, 'You gotta be fucking kidding me,' before his shoulders sagged and he turned to Shinji with the most forced smile he could come up with.

'Shinji, uh, I need to ask you something!' he said hastily and, without waiting for the blonde to answer, Renji dragged him away, leaving Grimmjow and Ichigo alone in the room. And to Ichigo's surprise, it was awkward. Since when did he feel awkward around Grimmjow?

'So, uh,' they both began. They blinked in amazement.

'You go first,' they started again. 'No, you! _No_, you! No-!'

Ichigo groaned and scrubbed his face with one hand. He grinned sheepishly as he peeped at an equally amused Grimmjow from between his fingers.

'We are so hopeless,' Grimmjow said dryly.

'Don't know about me but I know you are,' Ichigo shot which earned him a punch right in his ribcage. They chuckled. Everything seemed less tense now. 'Look, I'm sorry if you're upset about me bringing Renji. He's kinda my best mate and I hate leaving him by himself.'

Grimmjow's smile lessened a little and Ichigo grew worried. Had he said the wrong thing?

'Nah, it's okay. I understand,' Grimmjow answered shortly. 'It's kinda why I like having Shinji around too. I feel more comfortable.'

Ichigo had to forcefully beat down his inner jealous monster before it went on a rampage. He breathed deeply and hoped he was smiling. What Grimmjow said didn't mean anything. Shinji and him were _just_ friends. He trusted Grimmjow. But that didn't mean he trusted Shinji.

'It was…nice of your Onkel to invite us for dinner,' Ichigo murmured in a strained tone as they headed towards the dining room. He noticed how Renji was keeping Shinji occupied. Or rather, with Shinji jabbering away and running his hand up and down Renji's arm while the redhead was pinker than a ripe grapefruit, it looked like Shinji was doing a better job at distracting. Maybe Ichigo had it all wrong about the blonde having a thing for Grimmjow.

'He wanted to get to know you,' Grimmjow replied quietly, his eyes travelling over the occupants. His mother was bouncing Nel in her lap while she was chatting with Gin. Everyone seemed so calm and relaxed. Why did it look like only him and Grimmjow were the tense ones? Grimmjow quickly squeezed his hand. 'Look, I know you don't like him. I can tell. But try to get along? For my sake?'

Ichigo was startled by the assumption. Was he that obvious in his feelings? Ichigo was about to retort that he thought Grimmjow's Onkel didn't like him either but he decided to bite his tongue instead. No need to cause a fight right now in front of everyone. He just nodded at Grimmjow who smiled at him.

'Awww! Look at the two lovebirds!' Shinji hooted. Everyone looked in their direction and Grimmjow's mother laughed. Ichigo noticed how closely Grimmjow resembled her and couldn't helping being impressed at how gorgeous this woman was, even without makeup.

'Grimmjow, kannst du bitte den Salat holen?' she asked as she began to carry Nel towards the high chair at the table.

'I'll help!' Shinji added and started walking towards Grimmjow. Ichigo scowled. Okay, scratch what he said before about Shinji. The fucking blonde just wanted to get into Grimmjow's pants!

'It's okay! I can help!' he remarked and stepped forward to block Grimmjow from Shinji's path. Shinji raised an eyebrow at him.

'Nel!' Grimmjow's mother scolded as she tried to get Nel to settle in her chair. But the little girl squirmed and squealed and stretched out her hands towards Grimmjow while calling his name gleefully.

'Oh God! Nel! Stop being a pest!' Grimmjow sighed and walked across the room to help his mother. He looked back in apology at the two.

'Well,' Shinji mused, 'I guess it's you and me-!'

'It's okay, Shinji! I'll go!' Gin cut in as he stepped forward. He smiled benignly at Ichigo. 'Shall we?'

Ichigo gritted his teeth and nodded. Right now, he didn't know who he resented more; Gin or Shinji. Why hadn't _Renji_ volunteered to help? He made sure to give the redhead a predatory glare before he left the room.

'I hope you don't mind me being nosy,' Gin mused in a cheery tone. He located the salad and grabbed it. 'But how did you and Grimmjow meet? I never got the details!'

'It's really none of your business,' was what Ichigo would have liked to say because he was put in such a foul mood. But he managed to check himself before he replied.

'We were neighbors. Plus I was his guide around school when he came.'

'Oh, I see. Well, your German is pretty tip top.'

'Thank you.'

'And when did you two decide to date?'

'Ummm, it was an…unofficial decision. I kinda told him I liked him and he kinda told me he liked me.' Pause. 'Hasn't Grimmjow…told you anything?'

He didn't mean it as a jab even though it came out as if he implied that Grimmjow didn't trust his Onkel. Oddly enough, the man continued to smile his mysteriously wide grin as he looked at Ichigo. Then, to Ichigo's surprise, he placed one hand lightly on Ichigo's shoulder. It was light, nothing dangerous or sinister about it. But maybe it was the way he was looking at Ichigo that made the boy feel cold and unnerved by that touch.

'Grimmjow likes to keep his secrets for good reasons,' Gin answered pleasantly. 'I believe it is best not to prod. But I am _very_ protective of him; especially after what his Vater did to him. So I like to make sure that those who are close to him know the consequences of hurting him.'

He then patted Ichigo's shoulder and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Ichigo frozen on the spot. Then he glanced back in surprise.

Did Gin just…threaten him?

* * *

><p><em><strong>TRANSLATIONS: <strong>_

_**-Stimmt doch, oder Nel?:**_** Isn't that right, Nel?**

_**-Grimmjow, kannst du bitte den Salat holen?:**_** Grimmjow, can you please get the salad?**

**Special thanks to danasy once more for the translations!**

**And yes, there seems like a slow chapter but the next one is going to be full of drama FO SHO! Sorry. My inner ghetto needed a moment...**

**Hope this update is enough to satisfy all of you for the week!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Alright, the reason this chapter took so long is because I was waiting for danasy, my translator to reply to me with this chapter's translations. I had written this down a week ago actually so it's not danasy's fault! I'm just incredibly lazy and she is a busy girl! So the German phrases here are not the actual translation but until danasy gets back to me, they will have to do for now. I'll change them once I get the proper translations. So sorry for taking so long! Hope you like this chappie!**

* * *

><p>'You're keeping Renji away from Ichigo,' Grimmjow said fiercely as he and Shinji loaded the dishwasher.<p>

'Still burning up?' Shinji teased but the look of pure loathing across the bluenette's face quickly wiped the smile from his face. Shit, Grimmjow was _pissed_.

Though nothing _bad _had happened, really. Ichigo just seemed to be discussing a lot with Renji. And whenever Grimmjow would ask what they were talking about, Ichigo would just wave it off with a smile and a, "Oh, nothing, babe," to which Grimmjow would force a smile and then snarl at Shinji once they were alone in the kitchen.

Shinji kinda had his own complaints. What was with the heated glares the Japanese orange-head kept giving him? The sexy-as-hell Renji _had_ explained it was a Twitchy Eye Disorder but Shinji was doubting it was incurable.

At least Ichigo had the common courtesy of commenting on the mashed potatoes which were Grimmjow's specialty. Though Shinji knew that wasn't going to be enough to calm his short tempered friend for the rest of the night.

'Anything else?' Shinji asked, biting his tongue before he could say, "Your Highness" as well.

Grimmjow bit his lower lip as he closed the machine, his hand still resting on it.

'Not something you could help me with,' he muttered, lowering his gaze. Shinji could tell just by the look on his face that he was worried about his Onkel Gin.

Shinji sighed and slung his arm over the cerulean-headed guy's shoulders. Grimmjow gave him a perplexed look.

'Cheer up!' he chirped and stuck his hip out so that it bumped playfully against Grimmjow's. 'Everything's going to work out fine if you stop overthinking stuff!'

'Someone's gonna get hurt, Shinji,' Grimmjow mumbled. 'Someone's going to get hurt _real_ bad and I don't want it to be either of them. I don't want to lose them but now, I think it's best if neither of them even _knew_ me.'

Shinji frowned. He hated negative thinking. And having Grimmjow think like that was bringing _him_ down.

'Hey!' he said sharply. 'Get your head out of Gloomy Town and start thinking straight! No wonder you're so confused! Now let's talk it out! Come up with a plan! That always works, right?'

'Right…'

'Right! So, what're you going to do?'

'Give everyone dessert.'

Shinji smacked him across the head. Grimmjow gave him a bewildered look.

'Think straight!' Shinji snapped. Then, he paused. 'You know, that statement's kinda ironic right now…'

Now Grimmjow rapped his head hard.

'Don't do that again unless you have something smart to say!' Grimmjow growled. Shinji rubbed his head, a wide grin in place.

'That's the spirit! You're starting to act like yourself now!' Shinji chuckled. Grimmjow rolled his eyes. 'Right, so what's the plan _after_ dessert?'

'I talk to Onkel Gin.'

'And what do you tell him?'

'I tell him I want to be with Ichigo.'

'And then?'

'I apologize.'

'And then?'

'With a…kiss?'

'Focus!'

'I don't know what I should do next!'

Shinji sighed.

'You go make out with Ichigo and have wild sex in bed!' Shinji rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. 'Duh!'

'Forgive me for forgetting the obvious,' Grimmjow said sarcastically and copied his best friend's pose.

'In the meantime, I'll go have me some red angel cake,' Shinji cackled and started skipping out of the kitchen. Grimmjow smiled lightly at his friend's retreating figure.

'You really like him, don't you?' he said softly. Shinji stopped and turned around, looking rather sheepish.

'No way! He's just really sexy!' he scoffed though he couldn't hide how fidgety he was being. And Grimmjow knew that when Shinji fidgeted, he was trying to hide the truth.

Chuckling a little, he strolled up to his best friend and gave him a hug.

'Hey, it doesn't hurt to like someone more than you should,' he murmured in the blonde's ear.

'This is so dumb!' Shinji groaned but he hugged Grimmjow back.

He knew Grimmjow was just trying to help him come to a decision about his screwed up love life but Shinji didn't know if he was ready for such a big change. "Settling down" and "Shinji" in the same sentence? That was so unheard of! Then again, having those two phrases and "Renji" as well didn't seem like such a bad sentence.

'Keep telling yourself that,' Grimmjow laughed. 'Because in the end, you _know_ it feels good.'

Damn Grimmjow for always being right about him.

Shinji broke out into a toothy grin. Then, they heard someone cough behind them.

They broke apart to see Ichigo standing in the doorway, one eyebrow raised.

'Should I be jealous?' he joked though his voice sounded strained. Shinji raised an eyebrow now. Maybe the orange-headed Japanese _was_ jealous.

Grimmjow laughed and just held up plates with a slice of Frankfurter Kranz each.

'Just getting the desserts, love,' he remarked, past anger and anxiety forgotten.

'Thank God,' Shinji thanked silently. He was even proud when Grimmjow went up and pecked a surprised Ichigo on the lips before walking past him to lay out the desserts. It oozed confidence which is what he needed right now.

When the shocked Japanese looked at Shinji, the blonde just grinned widely.

'Better keep an eye on him before someone takes him away from you!' he joked and started walking past the orangehead. Ichigo frowned.

'I plan to,' he mumbled.

* * *

><p>'You're keeping Shinji away from Grimmjow,' Ichigo hissed. Renji gave him a bewildered look.<p>

'Well, aren't you pissed?' he muttered. He looked across and saw Nel staring intently at him from her high chair. He looked away and looked back. She was still staring. 'Ichigooo, she's starting to creep me out…'

'What's his problem?' Ichigo muttered crossly, eyes sliding over Shinji and Grimmjow as they carried the plates away from the table. Gin and Grimmjow's mother were busy chatting away. 'I mean, does he not _know_ that Grimmjow's committed? Freaking asshole…'

'Do kids stare _that_ much?'

'Are you even listening to me?'

'Are _you_?'

'Yes! Nel's just over perceptive and she probably thinks your red hair is a wig!'

'I don't mean _that_! Though thanks for the info, I think. I meant is that are you listening to _yourself_? You sound like an over-possessive boyfriend or something!'

'Well, after what I know and _saw_ about that skanky blonde do you _blame _me?'

'Okay, okay, fair enough. But instead of whining about it shouldn't you, like, talk to Grimmjow about this instead of whispering stuff to me about Shinji all through dinner? In case you haven't noticed, you've been giving the guy dirty looks throughout and I don't think they'll buy it when I keep saying you have a Twitchy Eye Disorder!'

'Okay, okay, I'll talk to him!'

Ichigo sighed, plastering a big smile, and excused himself from the table to go check if Shinji and Grimmjow needed any help with dessert. Leaving Renji all alone with Nel.

'Uh, my hair is real, by the way,' Renji said nervously. Nel kept on staring. 'Nel wants a cracker?'

'Es ist echt, Nel,' Gin sighed to the little girl. The green-haired toddler gasped and stared at her uncle and then at Renji and then back.

'What did you tell her?' Renji asked curiously.

'Just the truth. Or so I assume,' Gin smirked, placing an elbow on the table to wave his hand elegantly in the air. Renji had to admit, the guy knew how to carry himself, even though he seemed kinda creepy. 'So, how long have you and Ichigo known each other?'

'Ummm, we met through school friends actually. Been close ever since,' Renji answered politely.

'Haben Ichigo ziehen Sie hier oder sind Sie auf der Suche nach einem Seitensprung?' Grimmjow mother giggled as she asked. Gin chuckled a little at her comment.

'Wha-what?' Renji stuttered.

'She asked if you came here to hunt for a lover or did Ichigo drag you here?' Gin teased.

'Oh!' Renji felt his cheeks color and he stared down at the empty space before him to hide his obvious embarrassment. 'Well, um, I-I don't know…'

'Desserttt!' Shinji sang as he and Grimmjow waltzed in with plates of some kind of delicious cake perched on them. Shinji sidled next to Renji and smirked mischievously at him. 'Mind if I have mine in a bedroom?'

If Renji hadn't been heating up before, he knew he was burning up now.

'You're…' he struggled to say. 'You're not funny!'

'Who said I was joking?' Shinji laughed. Renji scowled and spotted Ichigo. His scowl lessened. Ichigo didn't look too happy. Did something bad happen?

'Umm, Ichigo, can I ask you about something?' Renji said suddenly, standing up. Ichigo looked at him, a kind of lost look in his eyes. Apparently, Grimmjow was staring at Renji too though he had a more alarmed look in his eyes.

'That can wait!' Shinji said quickly and yanked Renji back roughly into his seat. '_I _need to ask you something too, Renji!'

'You do?' Renji said in confusion. Wait, why did he care? Ichigo needed him right now.

'Umm, Shinji, it might be something important so why don't you let them talk,' Gin remarked politely.

'That's very nice of you, Onkel Gin,' Grimmjow said quickly. 'But Ichigo and Renji had talked _a lot_ today so maybe it's okay for Renji to listen to Shinji for once. I mean, he has a lot of _interesting_ things to say sometimes!'

Ichigo scowled. Renji gulped, knowing that Ichigo probably got pissed at that line. Renji _had _to admit, it sounded kinda rude like Grimmjow thought Ichigo was boring when it came to conversations.

'I suppose Shinji entertains you plenty with his _interesting_ topics,' Ichigo said dryly. Renji felt like smacking his forehead.

'Not a smart thing to say out loud, Ichigo,' Renji groaned inside his head. He could barely look at the look Grimmjow was giving Ichigo now and wondered how Ichigo could stand it. The German's face reflected not only confusion but irritation.

'Well, I don't get bored when I'm around him if that's what you're implying,' Grimmjow replied, his voice slightly tense as well.

Grimmjow's mother gave him a scolding look. She probably sensed the rude tone he was using and was trying to convey her anger through her face. But he wasn't paying attention to her. His focus was purely on Ichigo as they stood facing each other with narrowed eyes.

'If you want to believe that's what I'm implying then go right ahead,' Ichigo said dismissively, breaking their intense staring to take his seat. However, Grimmjow moved to block his way.

'Then what _should _I be implying, Ichigo?' Grimmjow bit out.

'Whatever you want, Grimmjow,' Ichigo gritted out.

'Seems like that's not what _you_ want.'

'Like you'd ever listen to me.'

'Bullshit.'

'Oh shit,' Renji thought, his heart plummeting. That wasn't a good tone.

'Grimmjow!' Grimmjow's mother gasped and stood up.

Gin raised both eyebrows and gently pushed the elderly woman back in her seat so that he stood up. He cleared his throat. Well, at least an adult was taking control of the situation. Renji was too afraid to speak up in case he became the punching bag for the angry couple.

'Do you boys wish to carry this someplace else so we can eat in peace? Grimmjow?' Gin said delicately, fixing said boy with a grave look, no smile in sight. Though it seemed Grimmjow wasn't in the listening mood.

'I'm done actually, Onkel,' Grimmjow muttered heatedly. He turned around, getting ready to leave. 'C'mon, Shinji, let's go for a walk.'

Renji sighed as the blonde got up to accompany his angry friend while Renji went to console his own.

'What? You need _Shinji_ to cool off?' Ichigo muttered angrily under his breath. Unfortunately, Grimmjow heard.

'What was that?' Grimmjow said sharply, turning around to glare at Ichigo's back. Shinji groaned and grabbed Grimmjow's arm to prevent him doing something drastic probably.

'Forget it, Grimm,' Shinji scolded. 'It's not worth it.'

Renji noticed how Ichigo tensed up. Shinji should _not_ have said that.

'Since when did _he_ start calling you, "Grimm"?' Ichigo blurted before he could stop himself.

Renji instantly grabbed his best friend's wrist. He knew what Ichigo was capable of when he was pissed. Didn't matter how well Shinji could probably defend himself. Against Ichigo, he'd be admitted to the ICU for days.

'Easy, Ichi,' Renji coaxed. 'Not a good idea.'

Now Grimmjow glared at Renji which made the redhead stare in surprise.

'What about _him_ calling you "Ichi"?' Grimmjow snapped. He wrenched his arm from Shinji's grasp and stalked up to Ichigo.

'I asked first,' Ichigo intercepted coldly, pulling away from Renji to saunter to his so-called lover.

'You _pissed_ me off first,' Grimmjow reprimanded icily.

'We're going down _that_ track, huh? Okay, since you put it that way, your blondie pissed me off first!'

'_My_ blondie? What about _your_ redhead?'

'Since when was I possession?' Renji retorted angrily.

'Same here!' Shinji agreed in annoyance. 'Not that I mind being fought over but certainly not by my best friend!'

'Oh please!' Ichigo snorted. 'Like that's going to stop you!'

Shinji blanched.

'Excuse me?' he sputtered, glancing from a surprised Grimmjow to a seething Ichigo.

'What the hell are you talking about, Ichigo?' Grimmjow uttered, not knowing whether to be confused or angry.

'I'm talking about your so-called best friend!' Ichigo snapped and pointed accusingly at Shinji. 'That guy can't help keeping his hands to himself and trying something that already belongs to someone else!'

'Wait, wait, wait, are you talking about _me_?' Grimmjow said in shock and pointed to himself. Then his eyes narrowed. 'Firstly, I don't belong to anyone! And secondly, don't act all innocent! I know what you and that redhead were up to while I was here!'

'And just what would _that_ be?' Ichigo demanded.

'How the hell should _I _know how far you two have gotten?'

'How far we've…' as soon as it hit Ichigo, his eyes widened and his skin flushed the darkest red it ever had. Even Renji was surprised at how red his best friend was. 'What the hell, Grimmjow? I would never even _think_ of doing that with Renji!'

'You don't have to! Your redhead practices it on you instead!'

'The redhead has a _name_!' Renji spoke up angrily.

'STAY OUT OF THIS!' Grimmjow and Ichigo yelled at him simultaneously. They went back to glaring heatedly at each other. Shinji whistled.

'Wow, this is intense!' he remarked but the couple ignored him.

'Just where the hell did you get that idea about me and Renji?' Ichigo demanded.

'I could ask the same of you!' Grimmjow retorted.

Ichigo pointed at Renji whereas Grimmjow stuck a thumb out in Shinji's direction.

'From him!' they both snapped. Shinji and Renji blinked in shock as they stared at each other before returning their gaze to the two bickering lovers.

'You thought I was in love with-?' Renji blanched and pointed at Ichigo.

'You got the idea I was banging-?' Shinji stuttered and raised an eyebrow at Grimmjow. Then he burst out laughing. 'Aw man, guess I was wrong! It really was just bromance!'

'You call it bromance too?' Renji said incredulously, the hint of a grin on his face despite the tense situation. 'I thought I was the only one!'

'Nah! It's the easiest and nonsexual way of explaining a guy/guy relationship!'

'I know right? Guess I got Ichigo worked up for no reason!'

'Oh wow, same here! Maybe we should…'

'You _will_.'

Onkel Gin was standing in front of Grimmjow and Ichigo, pulling them apart roughly. Grimmjow scowled but then stopped when he saw it was his Onkel Gin. Ichigo, however, continued to look disgruntled.

'Grimmjow, you have displayed atrocious behavior right now,' Gin said quietly but his voice was scary all the same. Even Ichigo's frown lessened. 'Your mother is upset and dinner has been ruined. You have also embarrassed your lover and his friend. Now, apologize so that we can at least scrounge whatever is left of this lovely evening.'

Grimmjow lowered his gaze and Renji felt sorry for him. To have someone else point out what you did wrong in public was just plain humiliating. If Ichigo still thought something was going on between Grimmjow and his Onkel, well, the way Gin was scolding Grimmjow right now might just erase that suspicion.

'Sorry,' Grimmjow mumbled. Gin cleared his throat loudly. 'I mean, I apologize for my behavior. I did not intend on hurting you. I hope you can accept my apology.'

Ichigo stared at his lover. Renji couldn't even tell what was going on through the guy's head. Ichigo's face was a blank. At least he was still breathing.

'Umm,' Ichigo finally said. Grimmjow looked up, eyes wide, wondering what Ichigo would have to say. 'I…gotta go…'

Grimmjow's mouth fell open but Ichigo didn't see that. He just walked past the bluenette and out of the house, leaving Renji behind with his _own_ mouth hanging open.

'Well, ummm, that went…well…' Shinji said weakly.

There was a crashing plate and everyone looked into the dining room. Nel laughed playfully as she played with the creamy cake mess in front of her and on her face.

'At least someone liked the cake,' Shinji muttered.

* * *

><p><em><strong>TRANSLATIONS:<strong>_

_**-Es ist echt, Nel: It's real, Nel**_

_**-Haben Ichigo ziehen Sie hier oder sind Sie auf der Suche nach einem Seitensprung?: Did Ichigo drag you here or are you looking for a fling?**_

**Frankfurter Kranz is Frankfurt Crown Cake. Google it. It looks delicious! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay so I know it's been a while but I've been busy (and sick) and just a heads up, I won't be posting anything till Wednesday because I'm going on a family vacation. Plus, might as well let you all know, I'm a Muslim and this is the holy month of Ramazan where we fast so basically we don't eat all day hence why I've been so tired and lazy in posting chapters. After Wednesday it'll all be over and I try posting chappies regularly once more! There are only three chappies left I think...**

Grimmjow quickly sat up in his bed when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. He quickly tried to scrub his face clean and wipe away any traces of the tears that had previously been streaming down his face in rivulets.

'C-Come in,' he called out thickly, frowning at how horrible he sounded. His heart did a weak backflip when he saw who walked in. His shoulders slumped. He'd been expected someone else. 'Hello, Onkel.'

'You weren't expecting me, were you?' Onkel Gin sighed and quietly shut the door before walking up to Grimmjow. The boy lowered his gaze and involuntarily gave a loud sniff.

'No.' His voice cracked that time.

Heaving another heavy sigh, Onkel Gin sank down onto the bed next to Grimmjow. He began to comb his fingers through the blue hair and hummed a merry tune.

'Your boyfriend isn't very nice,' he remarked patently. Grimmjow suddenly rounded on his Onkel with a fierce glare.

'You don't know Ichigo,' he hissed. Gin raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

'Oh,' he mused. 'I see how it is. He's that kind of lover, is he?'

'What?'

Gin tilted his head as if in pity.

'The kind who demands a bit too much without any regard of your feelings,' he answered softly.

'_NO!'_

Grimmjow jumped to his feet in shock. How could his Onkel even _think_ like that after everything Grimmjow had told him about Ichigo? Ichigo was _kind_. He was gentle, he was loving, he was nurturing, and he was…undeserving of the shit Grimmjow was putting him through.

'Onkel, I'm done,' he murmured, clenching his hands into fists and staring intensely at the polished brown shoes on Gin's feet. 'I…I don't want to do this anymore.'

'Do what, Grimmjow?' Why did his Onkel's voice suddenly sound so stressed?

'Us!' Grimmjow cried out in anguish, forcing himself to look at his emotionless Onkel. ' I'm…I'm _sorry_! If it looked like I used you I'm _sorry_! I never meant to! I just…God, I just _love_ Ichigo to pieces and seeing him hurt today just made me realize how I hate to do that to him! He doesn't _deserve_ it. He's a _good_ person who has done _so much_ to help me move on with my life! And you have to! But he's my boyfriend. And you're family. Thank you for always being there for me but…I don't love you like that. The only person who can take that place…is Ichigo.'

Grimmjow felt so sappy and vulnerable and _stupid_ right now. But who ever said the truth made you feel warm and fuzzy? You had to do it sometimes. It was time to take the leap in the right direction. And, surprisingly enough, Grimmjow felt a _huge_ weight lift off his chest after spilling everything out. It was actually a…_relief_.

'I see.'

Grimmjow was suddenly brought down from his euphoria of finally coming clean. He blinked in confusion as he gazed at his Onkel. Gin had yet to show any emotion or any reaction. He just leaned back on Grimmjow's bed with his elbows, gazing at the boy as he ranted his heart out. Once Grimmjow was done, he glanced at his nails and hopped to his feet, smoothing out any crease on his outfit. He looked up, his trademark smirk in place.

'Good for you, Grimmjow. You finally grew up,' he commented. The air felt tense and uncomfortable. Grimmjow resisted the urge to squirm in discomfort. 'I hope you have a happy life.'

But he didn't move towards the door to leave. Normally, a person would leave after a heartless sentence like that. Instead, Gin stalked closer, his smirk never wavering.

Grimmjow felt his body tremble, his heart painfully jumping into his throat. He couldn't say anything. Not even scream. And horrifyingly enough, he was fucking scared. Because this very situation was reminding him of those days when he had been Aizen's little pet.

'Onkel-!' he choked out before the silvery-haired man grabbed his face and smashed their lips together.

Grimmjow instantly jerked back, trying to escape. His eyes widened and his heartbeat escalated. He tried to scream but Gin swallowed that completely, pushing Grimmjow back until he was against a wall, utterly trapped and unable to escape.

He weakly shoved at the taller man's chest, his eyes pleading for his Onkel to stop what he was doing. This was _insane_. He didn't _want this_. He was being used again. He was being forced to do things that he shouldn't be doing. He was someone's fuck toy again.

That last thought caused panic to well up inside Grimmjow. His throat swelled, blocking his breathing. His skin felt clammy and his entire frame shook violently. Gin gripped his arms, pinning him to the wall. That's when he noticed how much the poor boy was shaking. He pulled away suddenly, lips parted as he breathed harshly, his face twisted to one of surprise and concern. Grimmjow whined pitifully, unable to control the tears spilling over.

'Grimmjow…' Gin murmured in shock, a hand reaching out to stroke a tear streaked cheek.

'Oh my God…' a voice gasped from the bedroom door. Both men turned to face it and their jaws fell.

Shit.

* * *

><p>'Ichigo!'<p>

Ichigo kept walking, feeling his anger burn and boil away inside him. He heard the thudding of footsteps behind him and someone panting hard to keep up with him. He hoped they would just give up. Because he didn't want _them_. He'd been expecting someone else.

'Ichigo!'

This one was closer and he felt a hand yank him back to face his pursuer. He scowled into Renji's flushed face as the poor redhead tried to catch his breath.

'What?' Ichigo snapped, literally controlling himself before he punched Renji in the face. It wasn't his fault but Ichigo was just _pissed as hell_.

'Don't what me!' Renji gasped. He stood up straight, still breathing hard as he spoke, scowling just as angrily as Ichigo. 'Did you know how _fucking rude_ that was, walking out like that? At least I stayed back and apologized to Grimmjow's mom! And, dude, did you have to be _that heartless_ to the poor guy? I mean, it was _my_ fault for thinking that Shinji liked him-!'

'It's not your fault!' Ichigo shouted, throwing his hands in the air. Renji watched him, stunned. 'It's not Shinji's fault, it's not Grimmjow's fault, it's not his Onkel's fault, it's _my fucking fault_! _Got it?'_

'Ichi…'

'Renji, please!' Ichigo covered his eyes with both hands, breathing erratically. 'I just felt…so fucking _embarrassed_ back there. I didn't know what to say or how to act. I felt like I had let Grimmjow down. I don't even know if I'll be able to face him again…'

'You can!' Renji said fiercely, forcing his best friend to look into his determined eyes. 'Dude, Grimmjow is _crazy_ about you and he's not going to let some stupid fight get in the way! And you shouldn't either! All couples fight! It's not healthy but it happens! You just need to be strong enough to brave it through and smile! You can't do this alone and neither can Grimmjow!'

Taking a deep breath, Renji cracked a smile, hoping to change Ichigo's mind.

'So what do you say, huh, buddy?' he asked hopefully.

Ichigo looked at him mournfully, his eyes glazed with pain. He knew Renji was trying to help and he was doing a great job. He really felt like walking away but somehow, his body refused to move away. Instead, he took one glance at Grimmjow's house, which was just around the corner, and began to walk quickly towards it, his eyes never leaving the building. He heard Renji whisper a happy 'Yes!' behind him and he actually smiled. He was running to Grimmjow's house now. He couldn't wait to see his lover's face and kiss away any hurt he might have caused the bluenette.

'Ichi-?' Shinji said in surprise as Ichigo barged in, looking around frantically.

'Where's Grimmjow?' Ichigo demanded, still trying to find that shade of blue he fell in love with.

'He's…upstairs. But I don't think you should-'

'Thanks, Shinji.'

And he was off, his heart beating wildly in his ears. He couldn't hear Shinji shouting at him to come back. He couldn't hear the odd scuffling inside Grimmjow's room. And he couldn't hear the squawk of surprise that floated from the same room. But he could see. And what he saw made his eyes widen in horror, his throat to dry up and his heart to shatter.

'Oh my God…' he whispered in horror, unable to believe the sight before him. He didn't wait for the two people in the room to react to his unexpected presence. He just whirled around and began running down the stairs, his entire frame burning with hurt and rage.

Grimmjow was kissing Gin. Gin was kissing Grimmjow. Grimmjow was pressed up against a wall with Gin hovering over him. Gin had pressed Grimmjow up against a wall and was kissing him.

'Ichigo! Please! Wait up!' a voice pleaded.

Ichigo suddenly felt his rage rear up like an ugly monster within him. He stopped in the middle of the living room, hands clenched into tight fists. He ground his teeth in frustration. Why the _fuck_ was _he_ still talking to _him_?

'Ichigo! Will you…can you-?' Grimmjow begged, hand grazing Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo jerked away, as if Grimmjow's touch was burning him like acid. He turned around, livid. Grimmjow looked shocked. He had probably never seen Ichigo this angry. Ichigo didn't even remember _being_ this angry.

'What the _fuck_, Grimmjow?' Ichigo growled. Grimmjow looked away, guilt screaming from his body language. Ichigo felt like screaming for real. His voice rose in volume. 'What the bloody _fuck_, Grimmjow?'

'Calm down, Ichigo,' Grimmjow murmured in a low tone. Now Ichigo lost it. His eyes bulged.

'Calm down?' he repeated incredulously. Grimmjow flinched. Good. 'Calm _down_? How the _fuck_ am I supposed to calm down after seeing another guy stick his fucking _tongue_ down my boyfriend's throat? You tell me! Has it happened to you? Is there a set of instruction on how to calm the _fuck_ down after you find out your boyfriend is cheating on you with his _fucking_ uncle?'

'It's not like that!' Grimmjow argued indignantly, but his tone showed he didn't even believe himself. He was shaking, perhaps from anger as well. 'He was just…he's my _Onkel_, Ichigo!'

'Oh, and that just _happens_ to make it all better?'

'No, it doesn't! I was _not_ expecting him to do that! You have to believe me, Ichigo!'

'I'm _done_ doing that, Grimmjow! I am _sick _and _tired _of expecting loyalty when _clearly_ I never had privilege to it to begin with! Were you leading me on all this time you were in Germany?'

'No, I wasn't -!'

'_Don't lie to me, Grimmjow_!'

'_ALRIGHT_!' Grimmjow was yelling back too except he had tears in his eyes. '_Yes, _I've been cheating on you! _Yes_, I've been doing it with my Onkel and _yes, _I do have feelings for him but not the way I have feelings for you, Ichigo! Fucking hell, I _love_ you! I would _never_ do anything to hurt you so badly! I promise you we _never_ had sex because I just couldn't bring myself to do that to you! You gotta believe me when I say I _always_ felt guilty and wanted to break it off but it was always _so hard_! _Please_, Ichigo, you _gotta_ believe me! I wouldn't lie to you about something like this!'

Ichigo's mouth felt dry and he felt drained. He had nothing left to say. His mind was a blank and his heart felt empty. He was done arguing about this. This was all pointless. Perhaps it had been pointless to begin with.

'You did lie to me, Grimmjow,' Ichigo rasped, his eyes regarding the poor bluenette with pity and coldness. 'You lied every step of the way. I don't know what I should believe anymore. I don't think I want to try.'

He was suddenly aware of how quiet everything was in the room, despite Renji, Shinji and even Gin being present. Perhaps Grimmjow's mom and Nel were upstairs but they didn't dare come down after that emotional blast. Ichigo was actually glad. He wouldn't know how to face the darling woman. Pity she had a son like Grimmjow.

Ichigo looked coldly at Gin who looked back without even a hint of his smile.

'I hope you're happy,' Ichigo remarked curtly. 'I'm no longer in your hair and never will be.'

He now turned to Renji, who just gave him a sorry look. Ichigo just shrugged and walked out. As soon as he was a block away, he felt tears roll down his eyes. He hastily tried to wipe them away, hoping he could hide them all the way back to the hotel.

'Ichigo…'

Without even meaning to, Ichigo turned around to look at Renji. They didn't say a word. Renji's eyebrows slanted ruefully as he watched the fat tears sliding down his best friend's face. He quickly walked up to Ichigo to pull him into a tight but comforting hug. After a while, Ichigo returned it.

He didn't shudder or sob violently. He just cried silent tears till they soaked an entire patch on Renji's shoulder. And Renji let him. He didn't say anything either. Ichigo was glad.

* * *

><p><strong>Well...that escalated rather quickly...<strong>

**I apologize if it seems rushed though :/**


	11. Chapter 11

**Yeaaahhhh been a while. So just to let you all know, there are three chapters left till this story ends. Let's hope all goes as planned. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>'Hi.'<p>

'Hi.'

'How's Ichigo?'

Shinji heard a door slam and he winced. Guess that answered his question over his phone call to Renji.

'Not too good,' Renji muttered. Then he snorted with laughter. 'He's trying to fit a kitchen set for his mom in his duffel bag.'

Shinji couldn't help chuckling then either. Even in this horribly fucked up moment, Renji still had a reason to laugh. It was what Shinji liked about Renji.

Shinji's hand tightened around the cordless phone.

'How're you?' he murmured.

He could just imagine the pink tinge on the redhead's face. The guy still wasn't used to having _another_ guy fawn over him. He was straight, after all. Though by the way he was acting around Shinji he might just be willing to play for the other side.

'Doing much better,' Renji said in a gruff voice, as if trying to hide the obvious embarrassment of having Shinji worry about him. 'Wish I coulda seen more of Germany but Ichigo's just in a hurry to leave.'

Shinji started nodding but froze at Renji's last sentence. His eyes rounded and he pressed the phone closer to his ear.

'What did you say?' he demanded, panic rising.

'Shit, I wasn't supposed to say anything,' Renji cursed and Shinji could hear him smacking himself on the forehead.

'Renji, what the _hell_ is going on?!'

'Look, I'm not supposed to tell _anyone_, especially Grimmjow!'

'You're telling _me_, Renji, so for fuck's sake just _spit it out_!'

'Alright, alright! Jeez! Ichigo and I are leaving for Japan tomorrow! He booked the first flight out of here.'

'What the hell? He's _that_ pissed?!'

'Well…'

'It's been a _week_ and he _still_ hasn't cooled down!?'

'Hey, that was one _hellava_ shock for him when he walked into Grimmjow's room that day! So don't blame him for being mad right now!'

'Well, yeah, I agree, I gave Grimmjow hell for that ever since! And the poor guy's _trying_ to make amends but every time he called Ichigo just never picked up!'

'Well, can you _blame_ him?!'

'No! But _still_, Ren, can't you _see_? This is just _messed. Up_!'

'It damn well is, Shin! But there's nothing we can do about it!'

'What the hell are you saying?! 'Course there is! There _always_ is! Just let me bring Grimmjow down and-!'

'No! Last thing Ichigo wants to see is Grimmjow's face. He's really…Shin, he's _broken_. You…didn't see him that day when he walked out. That guy…Ichigo…he was a _wreck_…'

Shinji bit his lower lip, listening to Renji breath shakily. Renji and Ichigo were as tight as him and Grimmjow. So while Renji may have seen Ichigo breaking down, Shinji had seen his closest friend slowly drown in misery. And that wasn't any prettier from Ichigo's reaction.

Grimmjow _cried_. The guy locked himself in his room and cried for _days_. The entire house was depressed. Onkel Gin would come by as often as he could but Grimmjow refused to see him. And when he had tried to enter by force, Shinji had to bodily shove him away which immediately put him in the guy's bad books. He felt sorry for the man but Grimmjow's needs came first. And he didn't want to see anyone. Anyone except Ichigo.

He glanced towards the stairs. He was standing in Grimmjow's kitchen and talking to Renji on the house phone. He was practically living at Grimmjow's place to watch over the poor guy. Grimmjow's mom was worried out of her mind. Even Nel was being quieter than usual. Mother Jaeguerjacques kept asking what was wrong with her "poor baby" but Shinji was sworn not to say anything. Though being a mother, she sort of guessed what was going on and after asking the first time, she didn't ask again. Her only words to Shinji, because she hoped he would pass it on to her son, was, "I hope he does the right thing in the end. That's all a mother can hope for."

Shinji hoped so too. But Grimmjow never _could_ if Ichigo kept avoiding him!

'I know this looks rough, Ren,' Shinji murmured softly. 'But as their closest friends, we need to realize that this is hurting them. And they need to fix it themselves. All we have to do is give them a little push.'

'I got a question thought,' Renji said suddenly. 'And I know it isn't any of my business but I've wanted to know this for the longest time. And I'm not badmouthing Grimmjow in _any_ way. Why did he have an affair with this…Onkel Gin of his? Did he not love Ichigo or something? Was he getting bored? What was it?'

Shinji inhaled sharply. He could lie. He could very well just let Renji hear what he wanted to hear and then try to convince him to help get Grimmjow and Ichigo talking again. But this entire situation was wrapped in lies. It was time to start telling the truth.

'I don't know,' he admitted. 'I honestly don't know why Grimmjow did that. All I know is, he never loved Ichigo any less. He loved the guy with his entire being. Which why I think he deserves a second chance with Ichigo.'

There was silence on the other end and Shinji wondered whether Renji would even believe him. They two barely knew each other. But Shinji felt something towards Renji he had never felt towards anyone he had ever dated. There was something real about Renji that Shinji couldn't help admiring. The guy was loyal and caring. He took care of his friends and he would never abandon them. It wasn't just about getting a second chance for Grimmjow with Ichigo. Shinji wanted a second chance with Renji.

'Bring him over, Shin,' Renji finally answered. 'And quick before Ichigo decides to open up that kitchen set. Those knives look damn scary.'

Shinji grinned widely.

'Thanks, Ren,' he whispered. Then he barked a laugh. 'You noticed how we're calling each other by nicknames now?'

'Yeah? So what?' Renji's gruff voice was back in place.

'Well, don't _lovers_ get that privilege?' Shinji couldn't help purring and almost laughed his head off when Renji screamed, "Asshole!" over the phone before slamming it shut. He hoped he was getting a second chance with Renji. And this time, he was going to treat the redhead right instead of like a one night stand.

He bounded up the stairs to Grimmjow's room, skipping steps as he went. His heart beat happily against his ribcage. He hoped Grimmjow would be willing to get out of his room. This was his one chance and he better not blow it.

'Get out!'

Shinji froze on the landing when he heard Grimmjow shout. His eyes widened when he saw Grimmjow's door slightly ajar and a figure standing with his back to the crack.

'Grimmjow, calm down,' came a steady voice. Shinji gritted his teeth. It was Onkel Gin.

'Get _out_ of my _room_, Gin,' Grimmjow ground out. Shinji winced. The guy was pissed. He wasnted even using an honorific to address Gin anymore.

'I just want to talk,' Gin continued. The figure moved forward in the room.

'Oh yeah? Last time we did you _fucked_ things up between me and Ichigo!' Grimmjow snapped furiously.

'Watch your tongue.'

'I can do whatever the _fuck_ I like! Now get out of my _fucking_-!'

_SLAP!_

Shinji's jaw dropped. Did Gin just…_slap_ Grimmjow?!

He heard someone sniffling in the room and almost rushed in. Grimmjow was not in a good state and slapping him wasn't the best solution. Just what the hell was Gin _thinking_?

'Now you listen to me and you listen good, Grimmjow Jaegurjacques,' Gin said firmly. 'I may have done wrong but that is why I have been coming here _every single day_ to apologize to you, you hear me? I know, what I did to you, you felt trapped and I realized too late that it was almost..._reminiscent_...of _Aizen_ and what he did to you…'

Shinji's hands balled into fists when he heard Grimmjow hiccough.

'And that is why I am _begging_ for your forgiveness,' Gin said, almost pleading. 'Grimmjow, you are _very_ precious to me and the idea of letting you go…to have your love directed to someone else…I think I went into a panic attack. And…Grimmjow, will you _please_ look at me? I'm _sorry_ for what I did to you and Ichigo! Just _please_ don't push me away anymore. It…it _hurts_…'

Silence elapsed in that tiny room. Shinji thought he was breathing too loud because of how quiet it had gotten.

'Please leave,' Grimmjow said quietly. 'I don't ever want to see your face again.'

The silence was getting too much for Shinji now. Time to barge in.

'Grimmjow!' Shinji exclaimed as he barged in. He completely ignored Gin and walked up to his best friend. He winced when he saw the red tint across Grimmjow's face plus the obvious fact that the boy had cried some more. 'Grimm, guess what? You've got a chance to talk to Ichigo right now! Renji said that they aren't leaving until tomorrow so you better hurry down there and-!'

'Leaving? Where are they going?' Grimmjow cut in suddenly, eyes widening as he stared in disbelief at Shinji.

'Japan. They…they're going back…'

Without warning, Grimmjow shoved Shinji away and began to yank his shoes on quickly.

'C'mon, Shinji,' Grimmjow muttered. He averted his eyes from where Gin was standing, pretending that the man wasn't even there. 'Let's go.'

That's when Gin stepped in front of the door. Grimmjow's eyes flashed.

'Get _out_ of my _way_,' he growled. 'You're _wasting_ my time!'

'Let me go,' Gin murmured.

'_Excuse me?_'

'I said let me go,' the man repeated, face devoid of emotion. 'Let me go and talk to Ichigo.'

'I don't think so,' Grimmjow laughed mockingly. 'I'm _not_ going to have you do _anything_ to Ichigo! This is _my_ fault and _I _need to handle it!'

'It's just as much as my fault!' Gin said fiercely. He was angry now. Just as angry as Grimmjow. And he wasn't going to back down so easily. 'Ichigo is _pissed_ at you and I believe if I could talk to him, I could probably-!'

'Look, I don't need your help!' Grimmjow was getting desperate. If anger wasn't going to work he was going to plead his way out. 'I can do this on my own! I'm not a kid! I make stupid mistakes but let them be _my_ stupid mistakes! _Please_, _stay out of this_!'

'As with my stupid mistakes,' Gin breathed. He placed his hands on Grimmjow's shoulders, making the boy flinch. Shinji didn't know whether he should intervene or not. Right now, it looked like he didn't even exist to the two so he best stayed out of it. 'Grimmjow, let me do this. Let me go and explain things to Ichigo. I need to tell him personally that it was not your fault for what he was and that I was to blame in entirely. I didn't just do you wrong but I did him. Let me go and apologize to the boy. And I promise, as soon as I am done, I will call you and you can come see him. I won't do anything to hurt him. You have my word.'

Grimmjow licked his lips nervously, his eyes darting to the floor. Shinji held his breath, wondering what the answer would be. If it was him, he would be to confused and emotional to give a straight answer. But Grimmjow, well, the guy was made of stronger stuff. One could always expect the unexpected from him.

'Shinji,' Grimmjow said slowly. 'Soon as they're done, gimme a call. 'Kay?'

Shinji blinked in surprise.

'Er, yeah! Sure!' he replied quickly when he realized that they were all waiting for his answer. Gin's body relaxed.

'Thank you,' he whispered and was out of the door. Shinji walked out too but he was hesitant. He glanced back the stoic boy standing in the middle of his room, looking more lost than ever.

'I don't know if I've done the right thing, Shin,' he uttered in a dazed voice. Shinji tilted his head, as if observing the boy.

'That's the thing with chance, Grimm,' he finally answered. 'You never know the outcome. But you take it anyway and hope for the best.'

* * *

><p>'You did <em>what<em>?' Ichigo exploded. Renji winced and took a step back, in case Ichigo decided to test those knives.

'Look, I can't have you leaving here all depressed and shit, Ichigo,' Renji said hastily. 'It's best if you talk things out with Grimmjow and-!'

'I don't _want_ to talk to that _slut_,' Ichigo growled. Renji flinched. Shit, this was worse than he thought. 'He can go _curl_ up in a ditch and _die _for all I care! I don't know_ why _you told Shinji but there is _no way _I am forgiving that _bastard! _I just want to go home, relax, and move on with my _fucking life!'_

He turned around and kicked his bed hard, making his suitcases jump up and the knives in his duffel bag to jingle. Renji thought it wise not to say anything now. He just hoped that Shinji knew what he was doing and prayed he was wise enough to bring a shield of some sort 'cause it looked like Ichigo was ready to go all Wolverine on anyone who walked into their room.

A knock resounded in the room. Ichigo glared at Renji accusingly. The redhead gave a weak smile before quickly hurrying to the door and opening it. He raised both eyebrows.

'What's _he _doing here?' Renji muttered, eying that Onkel Gin guy. The man didn't have his characteristic grin in place and he looked so serious it was just as scary.

'Erm, long story,' Shinji uttered, looking over Renji's shoulder at Ichigo. The boy's eyes were narrowed angrily and his hands clenched into tight fists. He waved heartily at the orangehead as he walked past Renji into the room. 'Yo! Ichigo! What's up?'

'Get the _fuck_ out,' Ichigo hissed. His eyes locked on Gin and they seemed to flare red. 'Especially _him_. I don't want him anywhere _near_ me.'

'Ichigo, you need to calm down,' Shinji coaxed, easing his hands out like he was handling a dangerous animal. 'We just wanna talk. That's all.'

'Talk when I've left. I don't care to hear _any_ of your bullshit. Now _leave_.'

'We're not going anywhere.'

'_Fine. I'll_ leave.'

And with that, the orangehead stormed past Shinji and Renji and purposefully shoved his shoulder in Gin as he stomped past that man.

'Charming as ever,' Gin remarked dryly before he walked off after the boy. Shinji sighed and was about to follow.

'Shinji?' Renji called out. The blonde stopped. 'Why _didn't_ Grimmjow come?'

Shinji sighed and scratched his head.

'His Onkel convinced him to stay behind,' he replied and crossed his arms as he turned around to look at the redhead. 'Kinda wondering if he was right in the head though.'

Renji laughed softly and ruffled the hair under his ponytail.

'You're really leaving, aren't you?' Shinji asked suddenly. Renji raised his eyebrows.

'Looks like it,' he answered, glancing back at his half-packed bag.

He remembered walking in and finding out that Ichigo had booked their tickets. He was pretty shocked and tried to talk his friend out of it. But Ichigo was as stubborn as ever and refused to budge. Eventually Renji gave in.

He wondered what was going to happen now. If he couldn't convince Ichigo to listen to reason what chance did Onkel Gin have? He worried that it was a lost cause. It hurt him just as much to see Ichigo in so much pain. He was lost without Grimmjow but he refused to admit it. Grimmjow should've come instead. It would've been better. Ichigo would've listened. Wouldn't he?

'Hey…'

Renji looked ahead and fell back on his bed in surprise. Shinji grinned broadly down at him.

'What was that for?' Renji snapped, trying to make his flushed face look like it was out of anger instead of embarrassment.

'You looked like you were ignoring me,' Shinji teased, half-pouting. He got down on his haunches so that he was level with Renji. The redhead averted his eyes, feeling way too conscious having those sharp, cloudy eyes looking straight at him. 'Hey, Renji, can I ask you a question?'

'Mmmm,' Renji mumbled, leaning back a little when Shinji got too close. It wasn't just about personal space but having Shinji so near was making him feel all hot and bothered. And it was pissing him off!

'When we first met, what did you think of me?'

Renji tried to hide his laugh but it escaped nonetheless. Shinji pouted for real this time.

'Whaaat?' he whined and placed his hands on Renji's knees, making the redhead jerk in surprise and accidentally look straight into the blonde's eyes. Renji gulped. those eyes were blown so wide and innocent it was doing strange things to his insides. Strange, explode-y things.

'Ermmm,' Renji struggled to answer, trying to find the right words. 'Welllll, I kinda thought you were creepy.'

'That's not very nice,' Shinji sighed, scooting a little closer. Renji shifted back on the bed, only thing keeping him level with Shinji were his elbows. The guy _better_ stop coming so close all the time! 'What do you think of me now? After everything that's happened?'

Renji blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that question to follow. He swallowed.

'I guess…' he started slowly. He licked his upper lip before biting a corner of it. 'You're not as bad as I thought…'

Shinji sighed and hung his head, as if in defeat. Then, to Renji's surprise, he stood up and began to fix the creases in his shirt.

'Guess that's better than nothing,' he answered cheerily, although it sounded forced. He gave a lazy wave. 'See you around then!'

'Wait!' Renji blurted out, grabbing a corner of Shinji's white shirt that was sticking out from under his grey sweater.

He felt his face heating up. He just acted without thinking right now. He actually didn't know what to say next. Shit, shit, shit! He needed to come up with something fast! Why the _hell_ had he even stopped Shinji to begin with?! Was he scared of not seeing Shinji again? That was ridiculous! Why would he feel that?! It wasn't like he cared so much about the blonde! Well, not in _that_ sense!

Did he?

'Well?' Shinji mused, his tone slightly formal. 'Got something to say?'

Renji gulped and opened his mouth.

'I don't like you,' he said. Shinji raised an eyebrow.

'Uh-huuuuh,' he said skeptically. Now Renji's face was on fire. But he had to continue. Otherwise he'd just like a big, _fucking_ idiot.

'But I don't hate you either,' he mumbled out, his eyes focused on the stitching in Shinji's sweater. 'I wanna see where this goes but I'm…I'm kinda _scared_. I've never done this before…with a _guy_. But I'm…' he breathed deeply, letting his eyes flutter shut before opening and smiling genuinely at a bewildered Shinji, '…I'm willing to go for it with you. 'Cause, well, guess I trust you.'

He let that sink in, hoping his heart would stop pounding so damn loudly in his ears. He wondered how Shinji would react. The guy looked like a playboy. And he had probably treated Renji as some kind of thing to conquer and move on from. But maybe there was more to Shinji. All he needed was a chance. After all, you never know what you were going to get. You just had to dive headfirst and hope for the best.

Well, he had _definitely_ not expected a kiss so forceful he was literally shoved into his mattress. And he hadn't expected his face to go so red or his body to start shaking because of having Shinji so close and, _oh my fucking God_, _slipping his tongue into Renji's mouth_.

Renji began to flail his arms, unable to breathe. Shinji suddenly realized Renji was probably not squirming out of pleasure and immediately pulled away, breathing hard but not as much as Renji. The redhead was gasping like he had been drowning.

'What? Never kissed with tongue or something?' Shinji panted as he sat back to straddle the redhead's hips.

''Course I have!' Renji snapped. His lips tingled weirdly and he touched them. 'Just…never with a _guy_…'

Shinji grinned widely.

'So I'm definitely your first,' he crowed. Renji scowled at him.

'Don't get so cocky!' he snapped. 'I ain't having sex with you until I'm ready!'

Shinji's shoulders actually slumped in disappointment.

'How long will I have to wait?' he complained. Renji raised both eyebrows.

'Unbelievable,' he muttered and lay back so that he faced the ceiling. 'You wanna get with me because you wanna have sex. _Wow_. Just…_wow…'_

'That not true,' Shinji remarked seriously.

Renji yipped as he felt something wet on his collarbone and his sight was blocked by blonde hair. He sucked in air sharply and shivered when he felt Shinji nibble his sensitive skin. He wiggled a little but not because he was uncomfortable. It was strangely _nice_, having the blonde press his body against his own and having that hot breath fan over his exposed neck. It made him excited and relaxed at the same time.

Maybe he might reconsider about the sex…

'I really want things to work out between us, Ren,' Shinji exclaimed, kissing Renji's jaw. The sensation tickled the redhead. 'And I don't want to force you if you're not ready. For you, I'm willing to wait. 'Cause it's going to be worth it.'

'How do you know?' Renji said breathlessly.

Shinji raised himself higher till he was level with Renji's face. He grinned seductively and leaned down to capture the redhead's lips in another kiss. But this was slow and gentle, his tongue just licking shyly over Renji's lips but not pressing to be inside his mouth. Renji actually liked it and almost pouted when Shinji withdrew.

''Cause it's you,' Shinji answered simply. 'And that's all the reason I need.'


	12. Chapter 12

**This chapter is kinda a lot of talking so don't mind much!**

**Before I sign off, would it be too much to ask you lovely people to respond to a poll on my profile? Just gonna take a minute! I'm going to get super busy so I only have time for oneshots and basically my poll is asking what oneshots you all would like! If all the pairings will get a vote each, well, guess I'm going to have to write all of them XD**

**Proceed…**

Ichigo suddenly stopped walking, his anger on the brink of bubbling over. He heard the set of footsteps stop behind him, making him grit his teeth. Will that man _ever_ let up?!

'What do I have to say to make you _stop_ following me?' he ground out.

He suddenly swiveled around to glare at the calm man. That only irritated Ichigo further. Why the _hell_ was this man so _fucking_ calm? He had just _ruined_ Ichigo's life! What more could he _possibly_ want now? Was he here to gloat? Was he here to rub it in Ichigo's face? _What?!_

'Do you want to hear it in a different language or something?' Ichigo continued to berate and before Gin could even open his mouth, Ichigo had already started his chant. 'Leave me the _fuck_ alone! Lassen Sie mich zum _Teufel _allein! Watashihitori de _fakku_ nokosu! _Me dejan la joder solos!_'

Gin raised in an eyebrow, impressed.

'Cultural, aren't we?' he answered dryly. Like they were talking about a particularly horribly play they had just seen together. Ichigo balled his hands into fists, willing himself to resist the urge to hit the silver-haired bastard.

'What are you trying to do?' he demanded. 'Are you trying to be _nice_ to me? After everything that has happened you think you can mend it all by _complimenting me_? Are you a _joke_?'

The man's brows furrowed. Ichigo's jabs were finally getting to him. And Ichigo felt a surge of contentment from that. At least he was _pissing_ this guy off as much as he was pissing Ichigo off. Now they were even. Well, not really…

'You are angry,' Gin finally replied.

Ichigo almost snorted. _You don't say?_

'But mostly you are upset. Which is why you do not know how to convey your emotions right now. I'm not here to apologize. Because one cannot apologize for loving someone so much that it hurts.'

Ichigo blinked in surprise, his anger ebbing as confusion flooded his senses. What did Gin mean?

Realization hit him like an oncoming truck.

'You're in love with Grimmjow,' he blurted out, dumbfounded. His heart skipped a beat and he swallowed painfully. Then, wait, did that mean…that Grimmjow was also…

'He doesn't feel the same way,' Gin said quickly, as if he knew where Ichigo's thoughts were wandering. 'And he doesn't know how I feel either. He never can. It would just…it would just hurt him. And I don't want Grimmjow hurting anymore. He's suffered enough.'

Ichigo stared at the older man, probably waiting for him to continue and also too shocked to continue insulting Gin. He still detested the man. But springing up the fact that he was _in love_ with Grimmjow, well, for some reason Ichigo felt like _maybe_ this man deserved a chance to be heard out. To explain himself. After all, Ichigo was the best person to know how love can make you do stupid things. Especially if the one you love is Grimmjow.

Gin took a shuddering breath before he fixed his gaze on Ichigo. Ichigo shivered a little. Was it just him but did Gin look helpless now? Almost like he was mellow and vulnerable.

'His Vater and I,' he spoke, his voice sounding strained, like he was forcing himself to talk. 'We were friends in college. He was my only friend then. Nobody…seemed to want to come near me. Even my parents…they were distant from me. All except Aizen.'

Ichigo held his tongue and crossed his arms, as if to indicate that he was listening. Someone was telling him their life story. It didn't matter it was Gin. It should but it didn't. The way Gin was talking…it was like he never told _anyone_ his story before. For a minute, Ichigo almost pitied him. What was it like…to have _no one_ care about you?

'When Aizen married and had children, he continued to be my friend. I even grew to love his family. His wife, Adela, Stark, Nel, Grimmjow…they became _my_ family,' Gin proceeded. Then, he balled his hands into fists. 'And then Aizen began to show his true colors.'

Ichigo shivered, remembering vividly how _that man_ had been. How his smile feigned innocence so easily and how his love for Grimmjow verged on madness. He dug his nails into the crook of his arms. Talking about _that man_ always made him want to lash out in anger because of what he did to Grimmjow.

Grimmjow…what if Grimmjow was _crying_ right now?

Ichigo shook himself out of his worried reverie and focused on Gin as he continued.

'I tried to help him. I tried to be a good friend,' Gin stressed. 'But there was nothing I could do. Deep down, Aizen was nothing but a cold, manipulative man. When I heard what he had done to Grimmjow, all of a sudden, I felt like a monster had erupted from my chest and wanted to claw Aizen to pieces. I wanted him to _suffer_ for hurting someone with his insanity for control. Ichigo…'

Ichigo almost jumped when he heard his name. He hadn't expected that although he was listening rather intently.

'I am…' Gin began slowly. '_Eternally grateful_ for what you did for Grimmjow. Truly I am. When Grimmjow returned home, I took it upon myself to help him heal. To an extent, I blamed myself for what happened to him. If I had been aware of what kind of person Aizen was, I would've done something sooner. But for now, all I could offer Grimmjow was my company. In the beginning, I was doing it purely for his sake. But then…then it became something _more_. I wasn't just doing it for Grimmjow. I was doing it because I _wanted_ to. I _wanted_ to be in his presence. I _wanted_ to be something more to him. And I _wanted _him to _want_ me.'

Ichigo felt his body jerk, his inner animalistic side rearing its ugly head warily. He tried not to show it on the outside but he couldn't really hide the scowl now forming on his face.

'I don't want to hear anymore,' he interrupted before Gin could continue. He turned on his heel and began to walk away when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He instinctively flinched and wrenched away, eyes spitting fire at Gin. '_Don't you dare touch me!_'

'Then you better keep listening,' Gin growled, his eyeless stare making Ichigo uncomfortable with every passing second. 'Because you _need_ to understand. You need to understand _why_ this is happening and how Grimmjow needs you right now.

'Need _me?'_ Ichigo laughed mockingly right in Gin's face. 'Why the _fuck_ does he need _me_? He's got _you_ now! He doesn't need me! He probably never did! Because everything was a _lie_!'

They stared at each other for a while, Ichigo's chest heaving with emotion and anger. He just wished Gin would _disappear_. He was making his chest hurt and not from yelling but from his heart _aching_. Had Grimmjow truly replaced him? It hurt just to think about it.

'Grimmjow has me, yes,' Gin replied softly. 'But he doesn't _want_ me. When we started…Grimmjow was asking for my company purely because he was feeling empty. Aizen had been…a _huge_ part of his life. He needed someone to treat him the same away without that taboo element to it. And he missed you. Terribly. There were days I could do nothing to stop him crying because he missed you so much.'

Ichigo's heart flipped in sorrow. Grimmjow _cried_ over him?

He rubbed his chest. It was hurting again.

'Grimmjow needed someone,' Gin pressed on, his frame a little lax when Ichigo didn't make a move to leave. 'And I was just…_there_. At that time, I was just developing feelings for him. And I…wasn't particularly fond of you.' He chuckled a little to himself. 'I guess I felt a bit of pleasure that Grimmjow chose me at that time. I felt like I had won over you.' His gaze slid over Ichigo's livid face. 'Only I hadn't. I never had. And it was eating me up from the inside. It only worsened when you came here. Because then, Grimmjow had to choose. And I knew I was not going to win.'

He exhaled slowly, taking a step back from Ichigo. That was when Ichigo realized that Gin was shaking. Shaking from what? Was he afraid of telling the truth? Or baring his soul to, for lack of a better word, his _rival_ for Grimmjow's love?

'During the time Grimmjow sought me as a means for an outlet,' the silver-haired man sighed. 'I felt _content_. I felt like I had nothing to worry about and shouldn't even worry about anything. Everything just felt _so right_. But then you showed up. And everything suddenly changed. I didn't feel like myself anymore. It was like I was a different person. A _horrible_ person who wanted Grimmjow all to himself.'

He ran a shaky hand through his hair, as if trying to calm his nerves. 'I tried to be mature. Tried to force myself to let go. I gave Grimmjow the right to decide because I only wanted him to be happy. But I was afraid. I was afraid of _losing_ Grimmjow. Losing him to _you_. I just couldn't…I just couldn't _bear_ that thought. It was driving me crazy. So when he told me he chose you I snapped. And for the first time, I hurt him. For the first time, I made him _cry_. Do you get it, Ichigo?'

He stared point blank at Ichigo, making the orangehead hypersensitive to the sudden intensity of the topic. Gin was no longer telling his story. He was pouring out his _soul_.

'It isn't Grimmjow's fault. It's _mine_. That's why I came instead of him. I…I needed you to know that Grimmjow is not to blame. It's me. It's all me. And so, I beg of you, please forgive Grimmjow. You don't have to forgive me. I don't care if you hate me even. I just…don't want Grimmjow to be hurt anymore…'

Ichigo swallowed harshly, trying to get a hold of his scrambled thoughts. He was feeling so many things at once; anger, sadness, pity, hatred. He felt like he was going to explode.

'Ichigo?' Gin voiced in concern. Ichigo realized he had been staring into space for quite some time. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes.

'I…' he stammered, lowering his face into his palms. 'I don't know…what to do…I can't just…I can't just go back…'

'You can!' Gin insisted, stepping forward in earnest. 'You should! Grimmjow _needs_ you! Don't you understand that?! I thought you of all people would!'

'I do!' Ichigo suddenly snapped, now glaring at the older man. How _dare_ he doubt that Ichigo cared any less!

'If you do then you should go to him! Why the hell are you dawdling?!'

Gin suddenly grabbed Ichigo's shoulders in a vice-like grip. The action made Ichigo jump and he tried to squirm away but Gin had a strong hold on him. Panic welled up inside him.

'What is _wrong _with you?!' he said startled, struggling to break free. '_Jeez_, will you get a grip?! No need to get so hyped up!'

'You're no understanding the situation,' Gin said icily. His nails dug into Ichigo's arms, making the boy tense up. 'As humiliating as this is for me but I am asking for your _help_. And to further humiliate me, you are _refusing_ to compromise.'

'Compromise?' Ichigo repeated in shock. 'You're not asking _for my help_. You're practically _ordering _me!'

'I will do whatever it takes to make Grimmjow happy again.'

'Forcing others is not going to do that! If you think that you can force someone to do something then you're no better than Aizen!'

Ichigo didn't know where that came from. He just said it without even thinking. However, it stunned Gin.

The older man loosened his grip, finally allowing Ichigo to wrench away. Ichigo stared in surprise at the man, heart thumping, wondering what he will do next.

'I'm not…' Gin mumbled, looking somewhere over Ichigo's shoulder, a lost look on his face. 'I am _nothing_ like him. Don't…don't you _dare_ say I am like him in any way…'

Ichigo swallowed, trying to gather up the courage to speak _his_ mind now.

'It's…it's not easy…' Ichigo started slowly. 'I just had my heart broken by the one I love. And now, after what you told me, I'm _confused_. Does he really love me? Does he really need _me_? He had you so easily! For all I know, he might have already replaced _me_ with _you_.'

Gin stared at him in disbelief. Then, he chuckled softly and finally forced a loud laugh.

'I've been _trying_ to replace you,' he said forcefully, as if it pained him to say this. 'And I just _can't_. Because Grimmjow won't let me fill that place. It's yours. _Yours. _No one else's. He's not going to give it to anyone but _you_. He _loves_ you, Ichigo.'

Ichigo squirmed in his place, cheeks heating up. Grimmjow…did Grimmjow love him _that_ much? He must if it was tearing Gin up like this…

Ichigo glanced at the unusually silent man. Gin had his head bowed as if in defeat. Pity welled up inside Ichigo once more as he stepped close to the man, reaching out a hand.

'Gin?' he called gently.

'Don't,' the man murmured, shaking his head. 'Just don't. Leave. Leave me be.'

Ichigo felt like he should listen but something else inside him made him stay. He bravely placed a comforting hand on Gin's shoulder.

'Hey, it's not so bad,' he said encouragingly. 'Maybe-!'

Suddenly, Gin turned to him with fiery eyes. They screamed anger and hate. Ichigo gasped and quickly let go, like touching Gin was burning him.

'I said _leave me_!' Gin bellowed and as if to emphasize his point, he shoved Ichigo hard in the chest so that he went stumbling backwards. Right onto the road.

_HONK! HONK!_

Ichigo barely saw the truck coming. He felt his heart stop and his eyes widened.

_SCREEECH!_

* * *

><p>'Shit, where can they have wondered to?' Renji mumbled as he glanced down an empty alley.<p>

'Grimmjow is going to be _so_ mad that I had lost them,' Shinji groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. 'I'm supposed to call him over once Ichigo and Gin have settled things.'

'Hope it worked out okay,' Renji sighed.

Shinji still seemed stressed. Renji glanced down at their hands, both swinging by their sides. He felt his cheeks heat up as he considered reaching for Shinji's hand to comfort the blonde. To his horror, he realized his hand _was _reaching out for Shinji's hand. He suddenly clenched it into a fist and forced it back to his side.

Sure, he had agreed to give it a shot with Shinji but he didn't think he was ready to start holding hands _just _yet. They just shared their first kiss today! They were moving a _little _too fast in Renji's opinion!

He glanced at the sky to distract himself as he spoke. 'Hey, you have an idea what that Gin guy is going to say to Ichigo?'

'Beats me,' Shinji replied, leaning his head into a shop before continuing the search. 'I just hope he doesn't scare Ichigo. That guy can be damn scary sometimes when he's overemotional.'

'Yikes. Hope Ichigo's okay then,' Renji muttered.

Suddenly, the wail of an ambulance resonated in the street. The two glanced at each other in surprise.

'Wonder what coulda happened?' Shinji wondered aloud. 'Accidents are kind of rare around here.'

The two turned a corner and stopped short when they saw the ambulance parked there. Renji raised an eyebrow.

'What're the odds of it happening so nearby-' Renji began when his eyes caught something.

His jaw dropped, eyes rounding. His heart pounded so loudly in his ears he almost didn't hear Shinji asking him what's wrong. Though he didn't have to explain when Shinji glanced at the same thing and had the same reaction.

'Shit,' Shinji cursed, stumbling back a little.

Renji swallowed harshly, wanting to look away but he couldn't. It was just so…_horrifying_…

'Shit, shit, shit,' Shinji chanted, his voice shaking as he started pressing buttons on his phone with trembling fingers.

He tried several times, chanting a mantra of swear words under his breath, before he finally got the number and almost smashed the phone into the side of his head he listened for the dial tone. Renji heard someone pick up on the other end, their voice sounding impatient and eager.

'G-Grimm,' Shinji stuttered, wheezing his eyes shut, leaning against a building for support. Renji realized his own legs were shaking and copied Shinji. Though his eyes were glued to the scene. '_Shit_, Grimm, there's been an _accident_. It's…'

**CLIFFHANGERRRR**

**Because I'm a heartless bitch. JK. Actually, might as well be true…**

**Two or three chapters left! Till next time!**

_**TRANSLATIONS:**_

_**(GERMAN) **_**Lassen Sie mich zum Teufel allein: Leave me the fuck alone**

_**(JAPANESE)**_ **Watashihitori de fakku nokosu: Leave me the fuck alone**

_**(SPANISH) **_**Me dejan la joder solos: Leave me the fuck alone**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello all. Long time no see? So I'm closing the poll on my account my midnight so if anyone still wants to vote go ahead and I'll start making the list! Thank you all who voted! Hope my stories are fulfilling!**

**Anyways, sorry for the wait! I've been busy and exhausted these. Want to take certain classes at college but as usual, life's a bitch. **

**Two more chapters left. Apologies to Hollow-Ichigo-Ichigo for taking so long. I hope this long chapter is a good compensation heh**

**Enjoy and proceed**

Grimmjow couldn't hear anything. He didn't _want_ to hear anything. Even though he felt the hospital doors give way to let him through, he didn't know how loudly he had pushed them open. But the way everyone was staring at him was enough indication that he must have been loud enough to scare the hell out of them.

He looked around, eyes glistening, eyes desperate and searching, heart pounding and throat so dry he could barely swallow. For a minute, he almost forgot where he was. How did he even get here? Did he drive? Did he walk? Why was it so hard to remember? Oh yes, the accident. The accident in which-

'Sir? Sir? Darf ich dir helfen?'

A hand pressed gently to his arm. He jolted away like he had been shocked. He managed to scare the male nurse as well because the petite man jumped back too. The little man shakily lowered his clipboard which he had used to protect himself in case Grimmjow had tried to harm him.

'Sir,' he started again though his tone more shaky now. 'Sind ... sind Du nach einem für jemand?'

Grimmjow felt his heart lurch. He tried to say something but no sound came out. His mind was blank. He felt blank. Did he really think he would have the strength to face-

'Grimmjow!'

Shinji stepped into view. The blonde sighed in relief. But his body was still tense. He strode forward and grabbed Grimmjow's hand, dragging him away from the nurse.

'Do you know how _pissed off_ I am at you?!' he growled, shoving a few interns aside as he dragged Grimmjow along. 'You shut the fucking phone on me and when I try to call you back you don't pick up! And when I called your Mutter she says you ran out of the house without another word! Do you know what was going on in my head?! I thought…fuck, Grimmjow, there was already one accident today! Did we really need another-_are you even listening to me_?'

He suddenly turned around and glared at his best friend. Grimmjow had to be honest, he wasn't listening. He didn't want to. He knew he was being a child but whatever Shinji said didn't matter. It didn't matter shit to him. Not right now. Maybe not ever.

God, was he just messed up right now?! He didn't know. He wanted to cry but he just couldn't _feel_. He just wanted to see _him_.

'Grimmjow…' Shinji's voice was softer. He drew close to Grimmjow, gently grasping the boy's shoulders. 'Hey, Grimm, will you look at me? I know this is all scary and shit but you need to realize that your safety is just as important right now. If anything happened to you…'

Grimmjow remained silent, eyes trained on the floor. Will Shinji just hurry up? He felt like he was going to burst any minute and it was _killing _him not to be near-

'Grimm.'

Without even realizing it, Grimmjow finally looked up. He saw Shinji's pleading eyes. And that broke him.

He felt tears pouring from his eyes, his lower lip wobbling, his knees threatening to collapse under him. But he made not a single sound, not even when Shinji tutted and held him tight, trying to soothe his pain.

Really? Did Shinji think a hug was going to help? It wasn't. It wasn't. It-

'Shinji, did you find-?' Renji rounded the corner and spotted them. He breathed a sigh of relief. 'Thank _Kami_ he's safe. We were beginning to worry.'

Shinji smiled at the redhead. Grimmjow couldn't help noticing there was something softer and more intimate about that action. However, seeing Renji suddenly made something click inside him. He was shoving a bewildered Shinji away and slamming Renji against a wall. The redhead blinked in surprise.

'Hey, chill out! There's no need to-!' he began but Grimmjow, finally having found his voice, cut him off.

'Where is he?' he whispered hoarsely. '_Where. Is. He?'_

Renji shifted uncomfortable against Grimmjow's grip. He swallowed uneasily.

'He's…he's in the…ICU…'he managed to utter. Again, that painful twang in the center of his chest. He ground his elbow into Renji's ribs for no reason, drawing a gasp out of the redhead.

'Where-?!' he growled and suddenly found hands pulling him off Renji. He turned around to glare right into Shinji's raging eyes.

'No need to get violent, Arschloch,' he ground out harshly. 'If you must know, the ICU is right around the corner so just calm the _fuck_ down. I highly doubt he'd want to meet you when you're so-!'

Grimmjow yanked away, almost slipping on the smooth, marble floor. He found himself running down rows of seats in a waiting room, eyes darting everywhere in search of the ICU. He had a feeling he wouldn't be allowed inside but he had to try. He just _had_ to.

A door to his right slowly swung open. When the person had fully shut the door behind him, he looked around and saw Grimmjow. Brown eyes widened.

'Grimm…' Ichigo whispered and almost had the wind knocked out of him as Grimmjow threw himself at the orangehead. And continued to lose his breath as the bluenette pounded both his fists onto his chest.

'You Arshcloch! Esels! Idiot! Shithead! What the fuck is wrong with you?!' Grimmjow howled, this time grabbing Ichigo's collar and shaking him. He glared furiously. 'How could you…I don't even…don't fucking do that _again_, you hear me?! _EVER!_'

With that, he released the orangehead and finally let it all out. The tears flowed more freely down his cheeks and he let out choked noises as he wiped his nose repeatedly on his shirt sleeve. All the while, Ichigo remained silent, watching Grimmjow.

When Grimmjow calmed down to just hiccoughs, he finally looked up and almost cried a fresh bout of tears. Ichigo wasn't hurt. But that didn't mean he had escaped any damage. There were a few cuts on his face that were covered up nicely. He had also scraped his elbow so that was bandaged up nicely though it was tinged a bit with his blood.

Hesitantly, Grimmjow raised a shaky hand to touch a bandage on his cheek. Ichigo didn't hiss in pain but he did wince which prompted Grimmjow to withdraw his hand almost immediately. Ichigo caught it before it retreated completely.

'Don't stop,' he said softly and brought Grimmjow's hand back to his face, this time splaying the bluenette's fingers all over his cheek. 'I…I missed…'

He stopped. Grimmjow wished he hadn't but he understood. And it hurt. Still, could he blame Ichigo?

He felt his body tense. He knew he shouldn't ask, not when they were having a moment, but this was why he was here. He needed to come clean to someone. To someone who had fixed and broken him without asking for anything in return. And now…now, that very person was…

'Ichigo, where is-?' he started.

He caught how Ichigo's eyes slid to the door he had just exited from. Grimmjow glanced as well. His heart rate picked up. Mustering as much strength as he could, he began to walk around Ichigo towards it. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his shirt sleeve.

'Grimmjow, I don't think you should,' Ichigo muttered, eyes downcast.

At first, Grimmjow felt a surge of rage. Why shouldn't he?! He _needed_ to see him. What, was Ichigo jealous? Did he want to keep Grimmjow away even _now_?

Then, he realized that maybe…Ichigo didn't want Grimmjow to see _him_ like that. That if he _did_ see him, he wouldn't be able to handle it. That he would break down and cry like right now. Ichigo was still trying to protect Grimmjow. Even after all he had done to him…

'Ichigo,' he spoke, almost desperately. He clenched his hands into fists. 'I _need_ to. I…I won't leave until I do. So _please_.'

Ichigo looked up, his look mournful. But as they locked eyes and saw the emotion swirling behind each, they understood. Ichigo let go. Grimmjow opened the door and walked in.

It was quiet save for the beeping sounds of the machines and the scribbling of a nurse next to a monitor. The silver-haired female Amazon smiled kindly at him. He returned the gesture though he had no doubt his was feebler. His eyes locked on the bed. He gulped, anguish engulfing his entire being inside out.

Gin was a mess. Tubes hooked into him from every angle. Bruises littered his body. His stomach must have been bleeding profusely because it was heavily bandaged, probably even stitched, yet the gauze was stained pure red. He was breathing so irregularly that he was surprised the nurse wasn't panicking.

Grimmjow was shaking again. He shuffled forward, afraid that if he lifted a foot, he would fall right there. Maybe Ichigo was right. Maybe he shouldn't have. Just _looking_ was making him uneasy and weak.

He let out a choked noise. The nurse glanced up in worry. She quickly wrote something down on her clipboard and hurried out. She probably felt she was intruding. Grimmjow was actually just about ready to leave. He had turned his back when he heard the shuffling of sheets.

'Who's there?' came a feeble voice. 'Ichigo? Are you still here?'

Hearing Ichigo's name surprised Grimmjow. He hadn't expected his Onkel to talk to Ichigo at all. Perhaps…something had happened between the two that Grimmjow was not aware of.

'No, not him,' Gin continued to mutter. His head inclined slightly in Grimmjow's direction. Grimmjow was not fully facing the bed, heart thudding. 'Is that…I see blue hair…could it be…Grimmjow?'

Grimmjow let out a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a sob. He was stumbling closer.

'Onkel,' he breathed, hands trembling as he grasped the bed railing tightly. 'I'm so…I'm so _sorry_. For…for screaming at you, for hurting you. I never…I never meant to…'

'Oh please,' Gin snorted though the action brought about a series of coughs and hacks. Grimmjow glanced in worry at one of the monitors, hoping this wasn't disrupting his cycle.

'Don't strain yourself!' he scolded despite himself. This made Gin smile.

'It's nice,' he mused. 'To have someone care about you, isn't it? That they will do anything to see you happy. I wish I had that. You are very lucky to have Ichigo, Grimmjow. Promise me you'll treasure him.'

'I…Onkel, is something the matter?' Grimmjow stuttered, surprised. What was Gin spouting out?

'We never appreciate the little things in life,' Gin continued, like Grimmjow hadn't said anything. 'A smile, a hug, a kind gesture. Grimmjow, do you know the _extent_ to how much Ichigo loves you? When I heard him, when I saw him around you, it astounded me. His love for you provokes _jealousy_ from anyone who might look at the two of you together. I…I know I have angered you but please understand, Grimmjow, it was because I wanted the best for you. I was blinded to Ichigo's intentions towards you. But now that I see it, I see you are in capable hands. You don't need me anymore. In fact, I don't think you ever did.'

A monitor was beeping too fast. But Grimmjow's ears were ringing with Gin's words, trying to figure out what they meant.

'What…what are you saying?' he said faintly. 'Of course, I need you! You're my _Onkel_! You're the closest thing I have to a Vader! Onkel, you're not…you're not going to…'

'Appreciate the little things in life, mein kleiner blauer,' Gin repeated under his breath. 'Always.'

His body suddenly lurched. Suddenly, the beeping monitor wasn't the only one whining. It was like every screen was going haywire. Grimmjow was suddenly shoved to one side. It was the silver-haired nurse. She was checking Gin's pulse, eyes glancing worriedly at the screens. She grabbed the emergency phone next to the bed.

'Anfall in Room 333!' she yelled into it. 'Medics _nun_!'

'Onkel…Onkel…' Grimmjow murmured, eyes trained on Gin's convulsing body. It suddenly hit him on what was happening. His eyes widened and he scrambled forward. '_Onkel_, _no! No, you can't leave! You can't!'_

The nurse saw him approaching from the corner of her eye and immediately began to push him out. She was surprisingly strong for a woman but guess it came with the height since she towered over Grimmjow.

Ichigo was startled as she pushed Grimjow out who continued to struggle and scream.

'Hilfe,' she asked desperately.

Shaking out of his shock, Ichigo grabbed Grimmjow, pulling him away. Medics began to rush into the room, blocking Gin's bed from Grimmjow's room. That only increased Grimmjow's hysterical screaming.

'Let me go!' he howled, attempting to kick Ichigo but the boy held firm. Ichigo was dragging him out of the waiting room. Everyone stared as they went by. 'Let me go! I need to go back! He needs me! Onkel! Onkel Gin! Gin, don't leave me! _Don't leave me now_! I'm sorry! I'm so so…'

Ichigo quickly turned him around to pull him into a tight hug. It was not only to restrict his movements but a feeble attempt to soothe the struggling boy. It worked. Partially.

For although Grimmjow stopped struggling and clung to Ichigo instead, it didn't stop the cries of anguish tearing out of his throat. He barely caught a glimpse of a familiar blonde and redhead around the corner but he didn't care anymore. He had enough of being strong.

He just wanted to come undone.

* * *

><p>Everything was just…so…fucking…messed…<em>up<em>.

Ichigo wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to break something. But although his mind howled at him to do all of these things at once, his body refused to obey. Instead, it insisted on tending to an already broken mind. Specifically, Grimmjow.

The boy was _broken_. Ichigo could see it in his eyes. Thank _Kami_ Mrs. Jaeguerjacques, along with a stricken Stark, showed up to tend to her son because Ichigo was only a hair's breath away from breaking himself just by looking at Grimmjow. It pained him to see Grimmjow in such anguish. To see his lover practically on the edge of insanity. He was surprised he felt no jealousy but he couldn't help wondering, if it had been him in the ICU right now, would Grimmjow be just as distraught? Or worse?

He shuddered, banishing the thought from mind. It would only quicken him to a mind as broken as Grimmjow and right now, he needed to be strong. For Grimmjow.

'Ichigo.'

He glanced up, tearing his eyes from Grimmjow who was staring glassy-eyed at a wall while his head rested in Ichigo's lap. Stark jerked his head to corner, indicating they meet there. Ichigo nodded.

'Grimm,' he whispered softly, tenderly drawing a few strands of blue hair behind Grimmjow's ear. 'I need to move. I'll be back. I promise.'

Grimmjow didn't answer. He made no indication that he even heard Ichigo. Ichigo frowned in worry as he gently placed Grimmjow's head on his seat.

'Am I hearing things?' Stark murmured as soon as Ichigo joined him. 'That…Grimmjow and Onkel Gin were…'

The way Ichigo glanced at the floor was enough of an answer. Stark groaned and covered his face with a hand.

'I leave the house for one _fucking_ year and Grimmjow already managed to get himself into deep shit,' the brown-haired man swore. 'Mutter doesn't know, bless her soul, but _really_ how _stupid_ can Grimmjow _get_?!'

'It's not his fault!' Ichigo found himself arguing. Stark raised an eyebrow.

'_You're_ defending him?' he said incredulously. 'Grimmjow's luckier than he thinks to have someone like you. Weren't you mad?'

'I…was,' Ichigo replied carefully, eyes darting towards Grimmjow, making sure the bluenette was safe.

He sighed in relief when he saw Mrs. Jaeguerjacques soothing her son as best as she could. Nel was trying to talk to her brother but he was impassive as ever. The sight made Ichigo frown.

'You _were_? What happened?'

'…A lot.'

'Vague much? C'mon, Ichigo, I heard you were the last person Onkel Gin saw before Grimmjow. Did he say something to you?'

'…'

_Ichigo winced. Gin looked like a fucked up _wreck_. And it was all his fault. Him in front of the truck. Him that Gin had pushed aside to save. Him that had stupidly sat in watching it all happen before his fucking eyes and not do a stupid fucking thing._

'_I can hear someone in the room,' Gin suddenly said aloud. It wasn't a clear voice but Ichigo could make out every syllable. And it startled him. 'Speak!'_

'_Erm, i-i-it's me. Ichigo,' he stuttered and drew closer. Gin breathed._

'_Good,' he remarked. 'I would hate for Grimmjow to see me looking so banged up. How do I look by the way? A little worse for wear?'_

_It was a feeble joke. But Ichigo smiled all the same. Damn, he was warming up to the guy. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. Though it was a little late to realize that._

'_A black tie and Grimmjow won't be able to tell the difference,' Ichigo managed to croak out. Did he always sound so weak?_

'_Do you think he'll come?' Gin wondered aloud. 'That he'll get so worried he'll rush here to see me? Or maybe it will be to see you? To make sure that you are safe?'_

_There was a bitter tinge to those musings. Ichigo winced. But he pushed it aside as he brought Gin's blankets up to his chest._

'_He's going to come rushing because he loves his Onkel,' Ichigo said calculatingly. 'And he'll be just as overwhelmed when he knows how you feel about him-!'_

'_No!' Gin said sharply and tried to lift himself out of bed. The action caused him to yelp in pain while coughing harshly. Ichigo felt his heartbeat escalate and he quickly eased the man back into bed._

'_Easy there,' he said soothingly. 'We don't want to open fresh wounds…'_

'_Grimmjow must never know,' Gin wheezed and stared straight at Ichigo, making the boy freeze in place. 'Promise you are never going to tell Grimmjow how I feel about him. It would just…he would just…I want him to be _happy_. And if he knew how I felt…when he's with you…I wouldn't be able to live with myself.'_

_Ichigo felt his jaw tighten._

'_You don't know what you're asking,' he said roughly, trying to control the emotion threatening to sway his voice. 'Grimmjow will love you no matter what and-!'_

'_Please, Ichigo,' Gin said firmly, hand grasping over Ichigo's hand that was draped over the bedside railing. 'Please do this for me. As a dying man's wish.'_

_Ichigo's eyes widened and he quickly wrenched his hands away, staring at Gin incredulously._

'_What…' he whispered. 'You're…you are _not_ going to die, Gin, and don't _ever_-'_

'_But if I do?' Gin said gently. 'Would you honor a dying man's wish?'_

_Ichigo swallowed harshly. Then, he nodded his head mechanically. Gin sighed in relief._

'_Thank you,' he breathed._

'_Sir,' a silver-haired nurse walked in with a bottle of medicine. She smiled benignly. 'Deine Medizin.'_

'Ichigo? You still with me?'

'Huh?' Ichigo stared at Stark for a minute, remembering where he was.

'You spaced out. What? Remembering what Onkel Gin said to you?'

Ichigo stared a bit longer, mind whirling with possible answers save the truth. He gave his word. He had to keep it. For Grimmjow's sake. But…could he really _lie _about something like this?

'He-' Ichigo began.

The doors to the ICU suddenly opened. It was an elderly woman with her hair braided behind her and in a long doctor's coat. Shinji, who had been pacing the floor, rushed forward first, followed by Renji. They talked for a bit. It was only a minute. But in that minute, Renji's eyes widened in shock and Shinji just stared blankly like he couldn't believe what was happening.

'Shit,' Stark cursed and moved away from Ichigo to his mother, who was already rushing to the doctor's side. Ichigo caught the tears in her eyes as the doctor, Dr. Unohana, shook her head in remorse. His heart leaped into his throat as one thought passed through his head.

_Grimmjow_.

He quickly hurried to Grimmjow who was now coming to. The boy stared around languidly, as if just realizing where he was.

'What's going on?' he asked in a dazed tone. Ichigo bent on his haunches, taking Grimmjow's hands in his as he tried to get the bluenette to only look at him. 'Is Onkel Gin going to be alright? He's well, right? He's not going to…'

He glanced behind him at his mother, Stark, Renji, Shinji and Dr. Unohana. For a minute, he just stared in silence. Then, taking everyone by surprise, he barked out a laugh.

'Everyone's being so stupid right now,' he chuckled. Then he looked straight into Ichigo's worried eyes. He leaned in close and whispered like he was telling Ichigo a big secret. 'He's dead, isn't he?'

'Ichigo, take him home,' Stark called out shakily. '_Now_.'

'That's not fair,' Grimmjow complained as he let Ichigo drag him out. 'I want to stay. I never got to say goodbye. I want to say…goodbye…'

'You will, Grimm, you will,' Ichigo forced himself to answer, his insides aching to see Grimmjow like this.

Grimmjow was in a state of denial. He needed to get home, maybe take a sleeping pill, and just get into bed. He was going to be alright in the morning. Hopefully.

'Why does everyone keep leaving me?' Grimmjow murmured suddenly. He had been quiet the entire time Ichigo had led him home. Now that they were entering it, with Ichigo still tugging the dazed boy around, Grimmjow popped the question out of the blue.

'Nobody keeps leaving you, Grimmjow,' Ichigo replied automatically. Grimmjow didn't need a weighted reply. He just needed to hear what he wanted to hear.

'How do you know?' Grimmjow shot quickly, his lost, sleepy faze suddenly vanishing.

'Because I'm still here,' Ichigo said insistently. Once he shut the door, turned around to cup Grimmjow's face in his hands and had the bluenette stare right into his pleading brown eyes. 'I'm still here with you.'

Those honey eyes begging Grimmjow to snap out of it and come back. Because he looked like the one who had embraced death instead.

Grimmjow slowly lifted his arms and gently placed his hands on Ichigo's face, mirroring the touch on his own. He traced a circle with his thumb on Ichigo's cheekbone as he gazed inquisitively at Ichigo's anguished face.

'Yes,' he murmured. He drew closer. 'Yes, you're still here. You're still…'

He didn't complete his sentence. Instead, he pressed his lips to Ichigo's and kissed softly. Ichigo let him. It wasn't a sign that Grimmjow was returning. But it was a comfort to know that Grimmjow still found ease in Ichigo's touch.

Grimmjow drew back. But he didn't give Ichigo time to breath as he drew in for another kiss. This time harder, longer, more passionate. Ichigo found his heart pulsing rapidly but not from the intensity of the kiss. But because something just felt _wrong_.

Grimmjow was being too _needy_, too _vulnerable_, too…_sensual_. The way the bluenette draped his hands around Ichigo's neck and pressed his body close; the way he gyrated his hips against Ichigo's had the orangehead gasping and clutching the wall behind as shockwaves of pleasure rode up his spine; and the way Grimmjow licked and nipped at Ichigo's lips just felt like he wanted something _more_.

Ichigo felt torn; because he didn't know whether he wanted this or he didn't. And the longer he allowed Grimmjow to keep this up, the weaker his resistance was becoming.

'Grimm,' Ichigo said in a muffled voice against Grimmjow's lips. The bluenette dipped again for another hot kiss, this time biting Ichigo's lower lip as he drew back. The action drew a moan from Ichigo and he quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. Shit, did that just come from _him_?

'Ichigo,' Grimmjow breathed, hands now resting rather eagerly on Ichigo's waist, right above his jeans. 'I wanna do it. Right here against the wall. _Now_.'

Fuck.

Ichigo tried to swallow but the way Grimmjow was staring so lustfully at him almost made him forget how to breathe. Not to mention the way all his blood was rushing to a place he did _not_ want rising in such an occasion.

Grimmjow didn't _need_ this. He didn't _want_ this. He was just trying to cope. And this wasn't what he needed right now.

The sound of his belt being removed made him regain his piece of mind. His _sane_ piece of mind.

He suddenly gripped Grimmjow's wrists, stilling his actions from undoing his pants. Although Ichigo _really_ wanted to take them off. They were fucking _tight_ now.

'Grimmjow,' he murmured, glad he still had his voice. 'You don't want to do this. You're just upset. And sex isn't going to help right now.'

'It could if you let it, Ichigo,' Grimmjow replied smoothly.

Fuck, since when did his name sound _so good_ when Grimmjow said it? Wonder what his sex voice would sound like-

'No, it won't,' Ichigo said forcefully, shaking his mind clear. He tried to stare into Grimmjow's eyes, trying to make him see reason. 'Grimm, you're hurt and I understand that. But please understand that this is _not_ going to make you feel any better.'

'I just want to do it with you, Ichigo. I've always wanted to. Don't you?'

'I _do_, Grimm, but now's not the right time!'

'Then when? Is there a good time for sex?! I'm here, I'm horny, what the _fuck _else do you want, Ichigo?!'

'I don't _want_ anything from you right now! I just want you to get some rest! You're a _wreck_, Grimmjow! Why can't you see that?!'

'Because I just want to _feel_ right now, Ichigo!'

He suddenly wrenched away, staring at Ichigo with haunted, gaunt eyes. Ichigo inhaled sharply. Grimmjow was returning. But it wasn't going to be pretty.

'I just want to know that everything is still _real_,' Grimmjow bit out. 'That I can still touch something and feel _warmth_; that I can still laugh at something and feel _happy_; that I can kiss you and feel _love_! I just…fucking hell, Ichigo, everything is moving so fast and I feel like I'm being left behind! Do you know how that feels?! No, you fucking _don't_! I might never get to see Gin again and it's just…it's just too much to take in and I'm afraid it means I'm getting further and further away from _everything_!'

He inhaled deeply, chest heaving, eyes brighter than any star Ichigo had ever seen. He didn't trust himself to breathe or even speak. His heart felt painfully full and he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, everything would come gushing out in a mess.

'All I ask,' Grimmjow continued softly, eyes fixed pleadingly on Ichigo. 'Is _one_ thing. _One thing, _Ichigo. That's it. Is it that so hard? Can't you do it? Just for me?'

Ichigo gazed helplessly at him. He clenched his hands into fists.

'I'm sorry, Grimm,' he said thickly. Grimmjow stared in bewilderment. 'I _can't_.'

There was a moment of silence.

'Get out,' Grimmjow said quietly.

Ichigo didn't move.

'Get the _fuck _out!' Grimmjow yelled viciously, glaring so furiously that Ichigo flinched. 'Or I will _fucking_ make you!'

Slowly, Ichigo edged to the door behind him. Without even a backwards glance, he slipped out, shutting the door quietly. He breathed ragged, his eyes fluttering closed as a few tears escaped down his cheeks. He almost choked on his tears when he heard a twin mournful sob from inside. He slowly sunk to his knees, body shaking. He had no doubt that Grimmjow had done the same. And it hurt that he couldn't comfort the boy.

_**TRANSLATIONS: **_

_**-**_**Darf ich dir helfen: May I help you?**

**-Sind ... sind Du nach einem für jemand: Are…are you looking for someone?**

**-Arschloch: asshole**

**-Esels: Ass**

**-mein kleiner blauer: my little blue**

**-Vader: Father**

**-Mutter: Mother**

**-Anfall: Seizure**

**-nun: now**

**-Hilfe: Help**

**-Deine Medizin: your medicine**


	14. Announcement

**I'd planned on updating a few stories over the weekend but in light of the shooting in Connecticut I'll hold off the stories for now. I'm sorry if you were expecting a chapter but when I heard the news of the incident I almost cried. I couldn't help empathizing with the parents and people affected by it; what if that was your child? What if that was your mother? It was just...it is just amazing to think that such heartless people can exist...**

**I'm sorry for going all emotional. I hope I can convey my thoughts as best as I can in these lines because I can be bad at expressing myself sometimes especially when I'm upset. **

**Life is so precious and life with family is just priceless. I'm a thousand miles away from my sisters and my parents but I always try to tell them how much I love them and always think about them. So just take out time to tell your parents, your siblings, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, and anyone you remotely care about that you love them. Trust me, those words can make someone's day and make them smile :)**

**Next time, this will be a chapter. Promise. **

**And if you think no ones loves you or something, well, I do. Don't know who you are but you have my love. *hug***


	15. Chapter 15

**DAMN THIS IS A LONG CHAPTER! But I guess that's a good thing for you guys, right? I hope I wrapped things up nicely in this one! I've been busy like hell so sorry about the haphazard updating.**

**Btw I'm doing a poll on my profile again! This time around I was wondering about the gender demographic of my readers. As in, how many of my readers are girls and how many are boys XD**

**Vote please? :3**

**Now, I know this story is rated T but this chapter is rated M for content. So you have been warned. Although I think some of you have been waiting for this…**

**Proceed and enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Ichigo glanced up quickly.<p>

He quickly lowered it when he saw it was just someone leaving for the night. He morosely gazed down at his glass of wine. He really wanted to get something that would get him drunk as hell and forget everything that had happened. But he wasn't here to get drunk. He wanted to be sober if he wanted to confront Grimmjow at Urahara's. Though it looked like that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Ever since that…_ordeal _at Grimmjow's, Ichigo had been coming to the bar every day, hoping to meet Grimmjow because he sure as hell wasn't allowed inside the guy's house. But it looked like that plan was backfiring as well. Grimmjow hadn't shown up for work for at least five days and it looked like today was going to be the sixth.

Ichigo clenched his trembling hands. Was Grimmjow _that _mad?

He wanted to make up already. He was so, so mad at _everything_. Why did _Grimmjow_ get a break? Ichigo was _just_ as pissed. This whole thing was a fucking mess. On top of that, he was keeping a dead man's promise from Grimmjow and it was just _killing_ him.

Gin loved Grimmjow. Maybe even more than Ichigo. So why did _he _have to keep the secret? Why did _his_ conscience have to be weighed down by it? He was probably being selfish right now but he should be allowed this!

He should just go home. Being in Germany for so long was messing with his head. Maybe coming here had been a mistake. Long distance never worked. Something always went wrong. And besides, his plane was leaving tomorrow. He might as well just pack his bags and go-

'Ichigo!' Urahara chirped as he glided in front of the boy. 'So sorry that Grimmjow didn't show up today! Anyways, I have to close shop so if you don't mind vacating.'

'Yeah, no problem,' Ichigo muttered, getting ready to slide out of his seat. It wasn't surprising that Urahara knew perfect English. He was actually a Japanese-American who had moved to Germany a couple of years back.

'Hey,' Urahara said brightly. 'Maybe he'll come tomorrow! Or you could go to his house! I'm sure he would _love _to see your face!'

Love…

How could people toss it around like that? Or maybe..._he _had been the one tossing it around like that while everyone just _knew_…

'Shinji!' Urahara exclaimed and beamed at someone over Ichigo's head. 'How nice of you to-why are you shaking your head and waving your arms like that?'

Ichigo turned around. Shinji sighed and dropped his hands.

'You weren't supposed to see me,' he admitted in defeat and slipped onto a stool next to him.

'Nice try,' Ichigo replied dryly. They sat in silence as Urahara went off to refill Shunsui's mug. After a moment, Ichigo turned to the blonde. 'How's Grimmjow?'

'He's…he's good…'

'…you were with Renji right now, weren't you?'

Shinji turned beet red.

'How'd you-?' he sputtered.

'There's a lovebite on your neck and I can see a strand of red hair on your shirt.'

'Ah.'

'So how is he?'

'Fantastic. Didn't know he could do that with his mouth-'

'I _meant _Grimmjow.'

'Oh. Well, I haven't seen him. He's kinda…locked himself in his room. Doesn't want to see anyone. Sounds really upset too. What happened between you two when you dropped him home?'

Ichigo coughed, feeling uncomfortable.

'Kinda said…no…'

'No to what?'

'To…um…'

'_Oh_.'

'Yeah…'

'…what the fuck? Seriously?! Hot piece of ass like that and you say _no_?! Angry sex is the best! No wonder he's pissed! _I'd _be pissed!'

'Not helping…'

'Right, right. Look, just go make up. Believe me, I think he misses you as much as you miss him.'

'Doesn't seem to be showing it.'

'It's kinda hard to show that when his emotions are all over the place right now.'

'I _know_, Shinji, but-fuck!' Ichigo suddenly banged the table in frustration. 'I don't know what to _do_! He won't answer the phone, he won't text back, he won't come to the door and he sure as hell won't come to work because he _knows _I'm waiting for him! What, does he _hate_ me because I didn't want to do it with him?! So sue me but I didn't think sex was going to solve his problems!'

'I know, I know!' Shinji said hastily, putting a reassuring hand on Ichigo's shoulder. 'But it's not your fault.'

Ichigo's anger started to fizzle out.

'Huh?'

'Grimmjow needs to stop acting like a dick and start realizing how much you mean to him. I've done all I can to help him. So has his Mutter. But now, it's up to you. You're the only one who can help him. Do what's right.'

'And what the hell is that?'

'Dunno.' He shrugged his shoulders and stood up. Ichigo stared at him. 'But it'll hit you.'

He leaned forward and grabbed two bottles of beer. He saluted Ichigo with one.

'Later,' he called and began to leave.

'Wait, why wasn't I supposed to see you right now?' Ichigo asked abruptly.

'Oh.' Shinji grinned. 'I was supposed to be back at my place with beer in five minutes otherwise Renji wasn't going to give me a blowjob. I knew if you saw me, I was going to lose.' He sighed. 'Ah well, guess I'll have to make it up to him.'

He winked and walked out of the café.

Damn horny, blonde…

Ichigo wasn't weirded out or anything. It was nice to see Renji with somebody even though he hadn't expected it to be a guy. But all the same, it was nice. And Shinji was being decent about it. In his own way. Like, he wasn't pushing it. He was willing to wait and pamper Renji like a spoilt brat.

Ichigo chuckled a little.

Then he froze.

That was it.

He jumped out of his seat so fast that he knocked it over. But he didn't care. He was running out of the bar in the direction of Grimmjow's house. He knew what he had to do.

He just hoped Grimmjow wasn't going to throw something at him this time.

* * *

><p>Someone knocked on the door.<p>

'Go away!' Grimmjow yelled angrily, burying his face in his pillow once more.

'Big bwother,' came a small voice tinged with hurt. 'Nel got you cookies Nel maded today…'

Grimmjow's chest tightened. He was still hurting but that didn't mean he had to take it out on his little sister.

He hesitated. Then, he threw his blanket off and unlocked his door. His eyes widened.

'Wha-?' he sputtered as his Mutter breezed past him followed by Nel. The petite woman perched up on the bed and fixed him with a stern look.

'It was the only way to get you to open the door,' she remarked matter-of-factly.

'That was a dirty trick,' Grimmjow sulked as he shut his door.

'Nonsense. We _did _get you cookies.'

'Lookie, big bwother!' Nel chirped and held up a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

'No, thanks,' he snapped, still pissed at his Mutter tricking him like that.

Nel looked hurt. Mrs. Jaeguerjacques glared at her Sohn.

'Really, Grimmjow?' she said dryly. 'If Nel cries, I'll make sure you follow.'

'Okay, okay! I'll take a cookie.'

He bit into a cookie and held back a satisfied moan. He hadn't eaten anything in _days_. It wasn't that he was starving himself. It just took too much of an effort to swallow the food. Though now that he took a bite of something edible, it just hit him how hungry he was.

'Grimmjow.'

He looked up. His Mutter patted the spot next to her. He obeyed. Then, as if on instinct, he gently rested his head on her shoulder and she began to stroke his hair tenderly. In the meantime, Nel clambered into his lap and leaned back against his chest.

Grimmjow felt like he was going to burst. He'd been a complete asshole to everyone lately. Even his own family. And yet, here was his Mutter and little sister, taking care of him like nothing had happened. He didn't deserve this. He didn't to be loved so much and so blindly.

He clenched his hands into fists. He was such a douchebag.

'Grimmjow,' Mrs. Jaeguerjacques whispered. 'I know you feel pathetic right now. We all do. Onkel Gin was dear to all of us. But that doesn't mean you should throw your life away like that.'

Grimmjow inhaled sharply.

'I'm trying,' he croaked, squeezing his eyes shut. 'I'm really trying. Believe me. But…_it's hard_.'

Mother Jaeguerjacques sighed. She cupped her Sohn's face and lifted it up to meet her gentle eyes.

'And it's not going to get any easier,' she replied and kissed his forward lovingly. 'You need to collect yourself and face the world soon, Grimmjow darling. Otherwise, you'll be left behind.'

Grimmjow bit on his lower lip to hold back a sob. He could feel his eyes watering. He gently pulled away from his Mutter to rub them. Nel looked up in confusion.

'What's wong, big bwother?' she asked and turned around to hug him, probably thinking that might help him in some way. And that did it. The waterworks were on full force and it didn't look like it was going to let up.

'Mutter,' he choked out, tears spilling freely. 'I…I've done some…_horrible _things. And…and…I've _hurt _people because of that. I've…I've hurt _Ichigo _and Onkel Gin and…and…_Mutter_…'

He suddenly turned to his stunned Mutter, looking her straight in the eyes.

'I never got to say _sorry,' _he whispered in a pained tone.

He struggled to get his thoughts right but everything was just so muddled. He felt suffocated. He suddenly realized that his Mutter had pulled him into a tight hug, pressing his face into her neck. She smelled like apples. That oddly comforted him.

'Sometimes,' she breathed, as if struggling to say the right thing. 'Things happen and we can't do anything about it. But that is why it is called the past. And instead of looking back, you need to look ahead because that is something you _can _change.' She seemed to tighten her hold on him for a second. 'Don't forget what you have, Grimmjow. I'm always afraid that you do.'

He curled his trembling hands around her. How the hell did his Mutter know him so well?

Women's intuition.

That's what she'd say if she wasn't hugging him right now.

A chuckled escaped his lips without warning. The sound relaxed his Mutter and released him while pushing his hair behind both ears.

'I love it when you laugh,' she murmured and connected their foreheads. 'You look so handsome when you do. And happy. And that makes me happy.'

He managed a small smile.

'I'm sorry I worried you,' he murmured, abashed. He looked down at Nel. 'And I'm sorry if I was mean to you.'

'But you're always mean to Nel!'

'Oh yeah? When I'm mean do I do _this_!?'

Nel shrieked as he pulled her shirt up and blew into her belly button. They both started giggling madly as Grimmjow fell back on his bed.

'Well, now that you're in a good mood, how about a late dinner?' Mother Jaeguerjacques laughed as she stood up. 'What do you guys want? Strudel? Goulash? Shepherd's pie?'

Grimmjow and Nel looked at each other and grinned.

'McDonalds!' they both said in unison. Mrs. Jaeguerjacques rolled her eyes.

'I hope you all suffer from cholesterol-clogged arteries,' she sighed. 'Happy meal and a Big Mac?'

'Ja,' Grimmjow laughed. It felt good to be like this again and not all mopey.

His smile lessened a little as his thoughts strayed. Wonder how Ichigo was doing right now…

'Hello?' Stark's voice floated up into his room from the open door. 'Um, yeah, he's home but I don't think he wants to see you. You know the drill, Ichigo. Sorry, mate.'

At Ichigo's name, Grimmjow startled out of bed, almost knocking Nel off in the process too. The little girl looked at her brother in surprise. He raced down the stairs, praying that Ichigo was still there.

When he saw the head of orange in the doorway, he suddenly felt light-headed.

Ichigo glanced up and saw Grimmjow. His eyes widened. Stark, noticing Ichigo's strange expression, also looked back.

'Grimm!' he exclaimed in surprise. 'You finally left your room! Thank-!'

He didn't get a word in as Grimmjow pushed him aside to drag Ichigo into the house and then, without warning, smash his lips against the shocked orangehead's lips.

He missed this. He missed those lips, that hair, that skin, those eyes. Most of all, he missed _Ichigo_. He wanted to take back everything that had happened, lock it away in a box and lose the key forever. He wanted to rip out every bad thing that had happened between them and fill in those spaces with tender kisses, loving words and honest feelings.

He suddenly realized that Ichigo was responding to the kiss. The man was kissing him _back_.

Grimmjow felt like crying again as he curled a hand in Ichigo's hair and another around his waist to pull him closer. Ichigo, in turn, wrapped both his hands around Grimmjow, as if trying to meld his body into his lover's. They just let their sense of touch roam free, tongues exploring each other's mouths, lips dragging against lips and teeth nibbling soft skin.

'Ichigo, I love you,' Grimmjow panted in between their pauses to breathe before attacking each other's lips again. 'You hear me? I love you, love you, love you, damn it…'

'Oh, my…'

They pulled away abruptly. Mother Jaeguerjacques blushed bright red.

'I…I'm sorry!' she stammered and turned her back on them as if to give them some privacy. 'I…didn't mean to intrude and-Stark! What are you doing here?!'

'Ummm, coincidence?' the eldest said lamely.

'Well, We need to, uh, get dinner! Grab Nel and let's go!'

'Wha-?'

'Do not talk back to your Mutter!'

'Okay, okay! Jeez!'

Grimmjow and Ichigo watched in amusement as the family bustled about clumsily to leave, trying hard to give the couple some alone time. Even though Nel obliviously complained that she wanted to stay with "big bwother and his girlfriend" to which Ichigo turned scarlet and Grimmjow laughed hysterically.

Mrs. Jaeguerjacques paused at the door for a moment.

'There are extra condoms in the bathroom cabinet if you need any,' she said helpfully.

'_MUTTER_!' Grimmjow shrieked, scandalized, while Ichigo laughed uncontrollably in the back. As the door clicked shut, the bluenette turned on a grinning Ichigo with a scowl.

'Not a word,' he growled.

'Oh? Then what can I say?' Ichigo teased. Smirking, Grimmjow stalked closer till he was standing nose to nose with the man.

'That you love me back,' he whispered. 'That you accept the fact that I love you so much it hurts to be away from you. That you know I'm so unbelievably sorry that I will grovel at your feet just to get your acceptance.'

'Hmmm,' Ichigo pretended to think. 'I like the groveling bit…'

'Want me to?'

'Seriously?'

'If you want me to, I will. I'll do anything for you, Ichigo.'

Ichigo blinked in surprise. Grimmjow breathed deeply.

'I love you,' he repeated. 'And I can't tell you how stupid I am for not telling you this and not realizing that it was the answer to everything all along. Ichigo…' he caressed the side of the orangehead's face, '…you have _every _right to hate me, to leave me, to do _anything _you see fit. I've put you through hell. And I've never acknowledged what you've done for me. I pushed you and pushed you and you just bore it. I…I don't deserve you.' He clenched his hands into fists in Ichigo's shirt and lowered his head. 'All I can hope now is that you'll take me back and believe me when I say I promise never to hurt you again. _Ever_. Because you mean the world to me, Ichigo.' He lifted his head, tilting it slightly to press a kiss to Ichigo's lips. 'And if I lose you, I've lost everything.'

Ichigo stared at him, stunned for a minute. Then, his eyes lidded and now _he _leaned forward to kiss Grimmjow sweetly.

'I love you too,' he whispered against the bluenette's lips. 'And I forgave you a long, long time ago. I'm still hurt. But that doesn't mean I love you any less. I'm here, Grimmjow. I'll always be here. I just…I just have two conditions.'

'What are they?'

'Promise not to get mad?'

'I don't have any right to be mad at you anymore.'

Ichigo inhaled sharply.

'I want to make love to you.'

Grimmjow stared in bewilderment. Ichigo looked panicked for a minute.

'I mean, only if you want to,' he said quickly. 'I…I don't want to force you or anything! I…I just-!'

'Are you doing this out of pity because you rejected me last time?' Grimmjow said softly.

'N-no! It's just…I want my first time to be special. And I want it to be with you. I don't want to wait anymore. I love you, Grimm. That's why I want to do it. With you.'

Grimmjow lowered his head again, mind racing. Then it settled. He had made up his mind.

He quickly looked up and kissed the orangehead, taking him back surprise. The force with which Grimmjow attacked Ichigo's lips sent them stumbling backwards a bit.

'Bedroom. Now,' Grimmjow rasped, not intent on leaving Ichigo's lips. The orangehead seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

How they managed to make it to the room was beyond them. They just relied on their sense of touch, tripping over steps as they tried to keep their bodies constantly pressed against each other. As they fell onto Grimmjow's bed, the bluenette felt his heart soaring.

He'd been dreaming of this moment, the moment where they became one. He had always wondered who would top, him or Ichigo. He thought it might be a stint to his masculinity but at this moment, it didn't matter. As long as it was with Ichigo, it didn't really matter. He just wanted to do everything he could to make the orangehead feel good.

'Hey,' Ichigo croaked as Grimmjow straddled his hips and began to undo his belt hurriedly. He tried to bat Grimmjow's hands away. But Grimmjow persisted until he had drug the zipper down and quickly palmed the half-hard erection over the white underwear. Ichigo hissed and threw his head back.

Grimmjow swallowed to wet his dry throat. God, Ichigo looked so damn sexy right now. And the sounds ripping from his throat were exquisite. They hadn't even done anything yet.

The bluenette continued massaging until Ichigo's member was standing at full mast. Then, hand trembling slightly, he pulled back the underwear elastic band to let the erection pull free. Ichigo whined, flinching as cold air hit his erect cock. He glanced up with dark eyes into equally lust-clouded blue ones.

'Grimm…' he murmured, hands trailing up Grimmjow's thighs, dangerously close to the bluenette's own strained erection.

Grimmjow groaned in approval, rotating his hips so that his jean-covered member rubbed against Ichigo's bare one. The short pants coming from Ichigo instigated him to grind down harder, hands sliding under Ichigo's shirt to caress the sensitive skin underneath. He wanted to relieve himself but he ignored his need. Right now, it was all about Ichigo.

However, it looked like Ichigo was thinking along the same lines for Grimmjow.

As soon as Grimmjow rubbed his fingers against Ichigo's nipples, the orangehead suddenly sat up, capturing Grimmjow's lips simultaneously. The action took Grimmjow by surprise and he barely had time to yelp when Ichigo's tongue slipped into his mouth. For a minute, he let Ichigo dominate the kiss, allowing the orangehead to rub his tongue against his own, run it over the backs of his teeth and across his lips. In fact, he thoroughly enjoyed it. And it was even more pleasurable with Ichigo keeping a firm grip on his waist while he grinded into the bluenette's ass.

Just when he had draped his arms around Ichigo's neck, the orangehead pulled away with a gasp. Grimmjow frowned slightly, wondering what was wrong.

'Grimm…' Ichigo whispered, knocking their foreheads together. 'I…I don't want to make you…you know…_bottom_…I mean, I don't mind…'

Grimmjow's eyes widened. _Oh._

Ichigo was scared of bottoming. After all, he had never had sex with a man before. Grimmjow, on the other hand…

'Lock it away,' he chanted to himself as he felt his mind cloud with panic and bad memories. 'Lock it away and do this for Ichigo.'

'Hey…'

Ichigo looked up to see Grimmjow smiling.

'I don't mind,' Grimmjow murmured, kissing Ichigo's nose. 'Like I said, I'd do anything for you, Ichigo.'

Ichigo's smile was dazzling.

'We're going to need lube,' Grimmjow laughed. 'And a condom.'

He felt Ichigo's neck burn in embarrassment. God, the guy was such a virgin right now.

Grinning, he pecked Ichigo once more on the lips before padding off to the bathroom. Although it was extremely difficult, not to mention painful, to do when he was sporting an erection. So while he searched for the lube and condom, he shucked his jeans and shirt into a corner and returned to the bedroom. He couldn't help the smirk spreading across his face when Ichigo's jaw dropped and face reddened at the sight of his naked form.

'Like what you see?' he teased, doing a slow spin to show Ichigo each and every side of his body. The orangehead was mesmerized.

'Uh-huh,' Ichigo said dumbly, eyes now glued to Grimmjow's cock as it stood proudly against his stomach.

'Good answer. Now, let's get you naked.'

'Wha-_oof_!'

Grimmjow pushed Ichigo down on the bed before proceeding to take off his shirt. His breath hitched. He'd never seen Ichigo without his shirt on. He looked _flawless_. Ichigo barely had a blemish on his skin. It was dusted a light pink due to his blush but that just added to how amazing his chest was. And those nipples. Like two roses.

Without warning, Grimmjow reached out to pinch both of them. The action drew a strangled cry from the orangehead. He writhed as Grimmjow continued to toy with his nipples, pulling, tweaking, hell, even _nibbling _on them.

'Fuck, Grimmjow,' Ichigo groaned and thrust his hips up, his cock now rubbing against Grimmjow's bare bottom. That got Grimmjow to stop and gasp in pleasure.

'Oh, wow,' he breathed, hands braced on either side of Ichigo's head. Breathing hard, Ichigo massaged Grimmjow's sides, gripping his hips before bucking his hips up again. This time Grimmjow moaned out loud before burying his face in the sheets next to Ichigo's face.

'Hey, Grimm,' Ichigo whispered. He had a rhythm going, running his hands over Grimmjow's upper thighs before jerking up to grind his cock against Grimmjow's ass. Each time it drew a small cry from the bluenette's lips. 'Hey, umm, can I...ask a favor?'

'Go ahead since I…' Grimmjow inhaled sharply as the tip of Ichigo's erection rubbed against his entrance. '…lack the fucking ability to disagree right now.'

'I've always wanted to, uh…' Ichigo's face was reddening again. Grimmjow looked at him from the corner of his eyes. 'It's kinda a fantasy of mine to, uh…have you…on top and…riding me…'

As soon he got that out he quickly turned his head away, though Grimmjow could see how cherry red his face was.

Grimmjow's mouth tilted up on one side in a smile. He rose up, still sitting on Ichigo's lap, before reaching for the bottle of lube. He knew Ichigo was staring at him as he poured a generous amount of the lotion on his fingers. Then, locking eyes with the orangehead, he reached behind himself and, rubbing the perineum of his entrance, he slipped a finger in.

He shivered. His entrance felt so tight. And judging by the size of Ichigo's cock, it was going to be a snug fit. The image of having Ichigo's cock in him made his entrance tighten. Gritting his teeth to hold in an embarrassing moan, he began to pump the finger in and out. He added a second finger. This time he flinched visibly, causing Ichigo to start in alarm.

'Hey,' Ichigo asked in concern, reaching up a hand to stroke Grimmjow's waist gently. 'Does it hurt that much?'

Grimmjow gave a shaky laugh.

'Gonna hurt a lot more when your cock's in me,' he mused. Ichigo gave him a bemused smile. Smiling back, he added a third finger and cried out.

He hunched forward, shivering a little, and waited for his entrance to get used to the three fingers inside him. Once his muscles stopped contracting, he began to thrust them in at a slow pace, once in a while scissoring himself.

Ichigo's mouth was open again as he watched Grimmjow prep himself. The spikes of pleasure shooting up his spine heightened in intensity. Grimmjow felt like he was going to come just by having Ichigo watch him.

'Shit, Grimmjow,' Ichigo murmured. 'You're so fucking hot like that.'

'Yeah? Well, that was just the appetizer. Here's the main course.'

He winced as he slipped his fingers out. Shaking a little, he reached for the lube again while simultaneously shimmying Ichigo's pants off. Once Ichigo's jeans were midway down his thighs, Grimmjow tipped the slippery fluid all over Ichigo's erection. He saw Ichigo's hands clench into the sheets and then throw his head back as Grimmjow closed his hand around the engorged member. He pumped the appendage slowly, squeezing near the tip whenever his hand slid up. Ichigo was shaking, sweat beading his forehead. He probably was holding off his orgasm, not wanting to come yet. No before they…

Grimmjow released the man's erection, earning a pitiful whine that went straight to his groin. He leaned forward to hungrily press his lips against Ichigo's. He lifted his hips line himself up and began to lower his body on the thick erection. His heart thudded loudly in his ears while body screamed at the painful intrusion.

Ichigo pulled away with a sharp gasp, eyes wide as Grimmjow sucked him in inch by inch. His knuckles were white from clenching the bed sheets, probably to prevent himself from thrusting up too quickly.

When Grimmjow finally had all of Ichigo in him, he let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding in. He glanced up wearily at Ichigo who looked back with just as hazy a look. Then, the two burst out laughing.

'I think I was expecting something,' Ichigo breathed as he stared at the ceiling.

'Like what?'

'I dunno. Something amazing.'

Grimmjow's heart flip-flopped in fear.

'So…is it?'

'No.' Ichigo glanced at him. 'It's _incredibly _amazing.'

Grimmjow wanted to laugh again at the sappiness in that reply. It didn't hurt now. He gyrated his hips experimentally.

'Oh, fuck!' Ichigo hissed, grabbing Grimmjow's hips to steady him, digging his nails in by accident, making Grimmjow wince. 'Shit, sorry! It's just…it feels so fucking _good_ I thought I was going to cum…'

'Heh. That's the fucking _point_.'

When he said "point", Grimmjow purposefully rose up and fell back down on Ichigo's erection. The orangehead gasped. Grimmjow smirked.

'Like that?' he murmured, repeating the action except more forcefully. Ichigo replied with a guttural groan. 'Plenty more where that came from.'

Grimmjow immediately started a rough pace, the burn of pain already melding into burning pleasure lancing up his body. He leaned back, splaying his hands on Ichigo's thighs while he spread his own wide open, giving Ichigo a clear view of Grimmjow's entrance sucking his erection in.

Wet squelches and harsh moans echoed in the room as the two kept going. Now that Ichigo had an inkling of what was going on, he was thrusting back up. He took complete control though when he angled his cock in such a way that Grimmjow was suddenly keeling forward, gasping for air, his pupils fully blown out with arousal. Sticking to that angle, Ichigo hammered away at Grimmjow's prostrate while the bluenette writhed in pleasure above him.

'Shit,' Grimmjow cursed as Ichigo hit that little bundle of nerves inside him repeatedly. 'Oh, fuck…oh, fucking _God_…harder…_harder_…_ah…ah…'_

His body was unbearably hot. Ichigo's body was unbearably hot. Everything was so unbearably, boiling hot he thought he was going to melt. He needed a release. He needed to cum. He needed to come _right_ _fucking_ _now_ otherwise he was going to lose his mind.

He jolted when he felt a hand enclose around his erection. The hand began to pump him in time to the thrusts, starting up a nice rhythm that had him moaning loud enough to rival the most skilled whore.

He was heating up again. Shit, did he just compare himself to a _whore_?

He bent forward, feeling a coil winding tighter and tighter inside his stomach.

'Now,' he thought desperately. The thrusts were becoming erratic. 'Now, now, fucking _now_, let me cum, let me cum, let me-'

He gasped as the coil finally unfurled explosively, his body twitching as he came in spurts all over Ichigo's hand. With a final thrust, Ichigo shuddered. Grimmjow shuddered as he felt warm liquid overflow inside him.

He exhaled slowly, sitting up to stretch himself out. Gently, he got off Ichigo's now softening cock, wincing at the pain lancing up his spine. Shit, they hadn't been _that _rough, had they?

'Fuck,' he groaned as his back made contact with the bed, lying right next to Ichigo. 'I can't feel my legs…'

Ichigo chuckled before turning on his side and surprising Grimmjow with a tight hug.

'That was fucking awesome,' the orangehead murmured, face pressed against Grimmjow's sweaty neck. He kissed the tan column tenderly. 'I love you.'

Grimmjow felt like he was going to melt. He turned on his side so that they were face to face. He cracked a smile before leaning forward to kiss Ichigo deeply on the lips. Then he remembered something and pulled away.

'You said you had two conditions,' he reminded the orangehead. 'One was this.' He gestured to the space between their spent bodies. 'And the second…?'

'Yeah,' Ichigo blushed again. 'Well, this is where I don't want you to get mad. Because it's important. For both of us.'

Grimmjow closed his eyes to compose himself. Then he opened them.

'I can take it,' he said confidently.

Ichigo took a deep breath.

'Okay,' he started. 'My second condition is…'

* * *

><p><strong>Just an epilogue left, guys. Almost done! First sequel I've done and going to finish! Whoot whoot! Oh, and sorry for leaving you guys on a cliffy XD<strong>

**Well, now spend the rest of the time wondering what the second was *evil laugh* No, no, I'll reveal everything in the next chapter. Till then, toodles!**

**TRANSLATIONS:**

**Ja: yes **


	16. Chapter 16

**Last chapter you guys! Thanks to all who followed this story and reviewed. It meant a lot because I would NEVER have finished this without your support. Much love and I hope you enjoy the final installment of Unlocked. And I also hope it's the closure you all wanted since Unnamed XD**

'Ichigoooo! The hot pot is ready!'

'Coming!'

The orangehead flipped the cardboard box shut and shifted it to one side. Wiping his sweaty brow, he stood up and gazed around his now empty room.

'I can't believe I'm actually moving out,' he thought in awe.

It wasn't like he was moving across the country. More like 10 blocks down from the Kurosaki household. A little something he, Chad, and Uryu had found while on house hunt. It was a compact little three-bedroom house with a kitchen and everything. Ichigo actually prided on being able to find such a gem.

And it definitely wasn't because he was getting sick of his family. On the contrary, he decided he wanted to venture out into the world on his own, try living by himself and earning on his own. More or less, he wanted to grow up. Because over the past two years, he realized it was high time he did. It was also the reason why he and Grimmjow broke up that day.

'_You mad?' Ichigo asks, worried, wrapping an arm around the bluenette's bare shoulders. Surprisingly, Grimmjow didn't push him away. Instead, he laughs. Ichigo looks at him incredulously._

'_I think I should've seen this coming,' the blue-haired man murmurs, pulling his knees up and wrapping his arms around them. He smiles affectionately at Ichigo. 'Not that I think you're sick of me, which you probably are, but I think our relationship being long distance strained us which is why I ended up making so many stupid choices. That and the fact I'm a fucking asshole.'_

_Ichigo frowns. Then, he turns Grimmjow's face to his and presses his lips softly against the bluenette's. When they part, he rests his forehead against his lover's while cupping his face. _

'_I can never be sick of you,' he murmurs. 'Your perfections, your faults, your burdens, your happiness; I love all of them and always will. But I'm afraid we'll end up relying too much on each other. So this time apart is going to give us time to think and stand on our own two feet. And if anything, it's going to make us stronger.'_

_Grimmjow locks eyes with him, bright blue with warm brown. He gently frames Ichigo's face with his own hands. _

'_You were always the stronger than me,' he sighs. 'And I wished I was like you.'_

_He closes his eyes, as if thinking. Ichigo watches him with bated breath._

'_When do you think we'll be ready?' he murmurs. _

_Ichigo can sense a tremble in that tone. Grimmjow is still scared even though he wants to do this badly. And Ichigo doesn't blame him. Time is such an unpredictable factor. Who knows how long it will take before the two of them are ready to restart their relationship. What if it takes years? What if one is ready while the other isn't? And…what if one of them falls out of love for the other? It's a damn scary thought. Ichigo had been hesitant to even consider it at first. But…_

'_We'll know,' Ichigo reassures him, now stroking Grimmjow's cheekbone with a thumb. 'Just like we've always known.'_

_Grimmjow's eyes flutter open, clouded in wonderment. The corner of his mouth curls up in a half-smile._

'_You watch,' he remarks. 'I'm going to be as strong as you one day.'_

_Ichigo kisses him tenderly in return. _

'_I can't wait.'_

Ichigo smiled at the memory, closing his eyes for a moment to remember Grimmjow's face. The angular cheekbones, the deceptively soft lips, the cerulean irises that seemed to be laughing at him all the time, and the feeling of strong arms wrapping around his waist while a husky voice whispered sweet nothings in his ear. His heart panged. He missed Grimmjow terribly.

On more than one occasion, he had been tempted to call the bluenette and beg him to take him back. But he had to stay strong. Not for himself but for Grimmjow. For both of them. This was necessary, pain and all.

Though he _did _give in at one point and called Grimmjow. But he had a reason. It was Mother Jaeguerjacques birthday. _That_ conversation had last for three hours. And then Grimmjow had handed his mother the phone so Ichigo would wish her happy birthday.

Ichigo chuckled to himself as he leaned against a wall, eyes trained on the ground as a grin threatened to split his face in half. Then, he caught sight of a picture frame perched on a cardboard box. Hm, he never remembered putting that there. Must be his mother's doing. He sauntered up and picked it up, turning it over to see what it held. His heart did a backflip.

It was a photo of him and Grimmjow, with him leaning forward to whisper something into the bluenette's ear. And Grimmjow was wearing such a blissful smile that Ichigo felt his heart doing a _double _backflip at the sight.

Ichigo now held the frame in both hands, smiling languidly. He remembered this. He actually didn't know Renji was taking a photo until he saw the camera flash. After that, he made sure Renji was seeing flashes of his own. Flashes of his own life passing before his eyes, that is.

They were only minutes from going through the airport gate back to Japan. He remembered Grimmjow squeezing his hand so tightly it felt like his bones were going to break. He also remembered Grimmjow having second thoughts about everything. Then, on some crazy whim, Ichigo had pulled Grimmjow aside to whisper something in his ear. After he had finished, Grimmjow had just stared at him for a moment before throwing himself onto Ichigo and kissing him passionately.

Ichigo felt his lips tingle from the memory of that kiss. It was the last kiss they shared before he had boarded the plane. Even though it had just been a kiss, Ichigo had felt his lips burning with Grimmjow's touch all the way to Japan. That was _definitely _the best kiss they had ever shared. It wasn't intense. But the volumes of emotion it spoke outweighed any passionate moment they had shared before that.

One of his favorite things about the photo was the fact that his and Grimmjow's fingers were entwined together. He hadn't meant to do that. It just happened. Or maybe…it was just normal and they've been doing it since forever without even realizing it.

'Ichigo! Hot pot! Before it gets cold! And I'm not in the mood to leave any for you either!'

'Okay, okay!' Ichigo thudded down the stairs heavily into the kitchen to come face to face with a scowling Karin.

He almost started when he saw her. She'd started to grow her hair out and wear skirts which made her so different that Ichigo had a hard time believing it was still Karin. But that didn't stop her from playing soccer with the boys and stealing berries from the neighbor's mulberry bush. So that _proved _she was still Karin.

'What kind of sister are you?' he complained, grabbing an upside down bowl and tossing it in the air to catch it right side up. 'I'm going to be moving out in a few days! Least you can do is be nice to me for _one _day.'

Karin snorted and grabbed a bowl of her own, mimicking her brother on righting it.

'I didn't spit in your coffee this morning if that makes you feel better,' she remarked. Ichigo stared at her as she moved past him to pour some fresh stew into her bowl.

'You're joking, right?' he asked, worried. Then he turned to Yuzu who was trying to hold in her giggles. 'She's joking, _right_?'

'Oh, hush, Ichigo, Karin is just teasing. _I _make your coffee in the morning anyway,' Masaki Kurosaki laughed and lovingly mussed up her son's hair. 'My big boy is going to live on his own! I'm so proud of you! And it's so close to home!'

'It's not _so _close,' Ichigo retorted. 'And I'm sharing it with Chad and Uryu so technically I'm not living by myself!'

Actually, Ichigo didn't mind sharing and would've loved it if Renji had moved in with him as well but the stupid redhead just _had _to move to Germany for his "Shinny-poo" (Renji didn't actually call Shinji that but it was funny seeing his face turn red whenever Ichigo said it). It had been kinda hard to accept, what with Ichigo going on a break and Renji jumping into a relationship. Ichigo even had to admit he had been jealous. But all in all, he was happy for Renji. Just as long as Shinji didn't call him up and narrated their "amazing" sex life (that's how he found out about "Shinny-poo").

'Still makes you a mama's boy,' Karin muttered. Ichigo stuck his tongue out at her.

'Where's oto-?' he began to ask when he saw something flying towards him from the corner of his eye. He used his bowl to shield his face as a slipper bounced off the china.

'Don't you hide from, Ichigo! I can see everything!' Isshin shouted from across the kitchen.

'What the hell is wrong with you?!' Ichigo yelled. 'You're supposed to congratulate me, not throw your bathroom slippers at my face!'

'This is my way of congratulating you! You're a man now!'

'So I deserve a shoe in the face?!'

'Exactly!'

'I'm surrounded my morons,' Karin muttered as she took her place at the dining table.

'Settle down, Isshin,' Masaki sighed. 'Before we have to assure the neighbors _again _that they don't need to call Children's Aid.'

Sulking, the burly man lumbered in, muttering something about educating his son in manliness. Though he seemed to perk up when Masaki pecked him on the cheek and told him he was the manliest man she'd ever met.

Ichigo smiled softly. He really admired the love his mother had towards Isshin. When she had been married to his bastard of a father, she'd been miserable. Isshin did her a world of good. For the first time, she had someone could make her laugh, shower her with affection and love her endlessly.

He hoped he could find a love like that one day.

'How's Grimmjow, Ichigo?'

'Huh?'

Ichigo stared at his okasan in bewilderment. Could okasan's read minds? He thought that was just a myth!

'I know you two have a pact going on but still, that doesn't mean you shouldn't talk as friends once in a while,' Masaki mused, resting her chin in the palm of her hand.

'He's…' Ichigo looked towards the giant pot on the stove, hoping his mother couldn't see his ears reddening. 'He's doing good. Umm, he's actually travelling right now. Wanted to see the world.'

'That's wonderful! Please let him know that he's always welcome at our place if he decided to stop by in Japan.'

'Yeah…I will.'

Thinking about Grimmjow was strangely making his chest hurt. Why now of all days? Was it because he was thinking way too much about the bluenette? Well, that wasn't a bad thing. You always think about the things that you love. But was it really proper to do so when you promised to give them space and time?

'Ewwww! Daaaad! Why're you grating cheese on your hot pot?' Karin demanded n disgust.

'Because it's for the _grater _good!'

'Oh, my God, that was _so lame_!'

_Ding Dong!_

'I'll get it!' Ichigo said hastily, hoping nobody saw him wiping a few stray tears from his eyes as he quickly left the kitchen. Shit, today was just too damn emotional. Maybe he needed to crawl into bed and just take a nice, long nap-

He opened the door. His jaw dropped.

'Hey,' Grimmjow grinned. 'Long time no-shit, are you _crying_?'

'Wha-?'

Ichigo roughly wiped his face. Perfect. Just perfect. Here's Grimmjow, standing in all his glory with his hair cropped short and tousled (very sexily, he might add) and wearing fitted denim jeans with a matching bright white t-shirt. And Ichigo's eyes were puffy red.

'I'm sorry! Is this a bad time? Shit, shit, shit, I just wanted to surprise you in that cheesy "I want you back" kinda way and then-aw, fucckkkk!'

Ichigo burst out laughing. Oh God, did Grimmjow get awkward over the years or what!

'Cute,' he finally breathed, wiping away tears of laughter this time. Grimmjow glared at him, realizing he just made a fool of himself. 'Oh, God, that _really _made my day. Other than the fact that you are standing in my door way.'

'Well, yeah…' Grimmjow muttered, tugging at his shirt in discomfort. There was an awkward pause between them.

'…Want to start over?'

'Please.'

Ichigo closed the door. Then he opened it again, gasping in shock while cupping his face with his hands in a comical fashion.

'G-G-_Grimmjow_?' he whispered melodramatically. Grimmjow rolled his eyes.

'Would you like some eggs with that ham?' he said dryly. Ichigo grinned broadly. He opened his arms wide.

'Come here, you!' he chuckled.

Grimmjow stared at his open arms. Then, as fast as lightning, he grabbed Ichigo's face and pulled it towards his so that their lips locked in a fiery kiss.

Although Ichigo squawked at the spontaneous passion, he did not resent it. In fact, he enthusiastically wrapped his arms around that slim waist and pulled him closer so their hips were glued together. Tongues, lips and teeth melded into each other and they fell into a routine so achingly familiar and missed by them. They parted with heavy breaths, hearts thrumming with excitement.

'I've missed you,' Ichigo murmured, feeling the burden of two years finally being lifted. 'I thought I was going to go crazy at some point.'

'I was going to cave in first,' Grimmjow laughed, knocking their foreheads together gently. 'I was _so _close. But then, I remembered what you said to me. And I knew, that the wait was going to be worth it. Because, Ichigo…' he pulled away to grin toothily, '…we got something no one else does. So why the hell are we worried?'

Ichigo's eyes widened.

'You still…remember?' he said softly. Grimmjow quirked an eyebrow.

'Question is, how can I forget,' he remarked with a smirk. Ichigo chuckled. Now _that _was cheesy.

'Ichigo! Who's at the door? Dinner's getting cold!' Masaki called from the kitchen.

'And get here quick before Dad starts pulling out even _worse _puns!'

'But that's because I _carrot _about you!'

'Don't mind him,' Ichigo muttered as Grimmjow raised both eyebrows. 'He's just coping with me moving out.'

'You're moving out?'

'Not far. Just thought a fresh start would be nice. Would you like to see it?'

Grimmjow gave a small smile.

'I'd like that,' he said quietly.

As they walked towards the dining area, hand in hand, their fingers linked like a perfect zipper. Just like that time at the airport.

'_This isn't going to work, Ichigo,' Grimmjow murmurs, staring rather intensely at the airport gate. 'We're going to drift apart. What the hell are we thinking? This is a stupid, _stupid _idea-'_

'_Shhh,' Ichigo hushes him, pulling him to one side and leaning in closer. 'Hey, calm down. You're just nervous because you've never done this before.'_

'_Have you?'_

'_Well, no…'_

'_Then how do you know it will work?'_

'_Because…' Ichigo now whispers into Grimmjow's ear, 'we've got something no one else does. So why the hell are we worried?'_

_He pulls away and sees the look of wonderment on the bluenette's face. Then, he's suddenly pulled into a sweet kiss. And really, nothing can be more perfect._


End file.
